A Marauder's Girl
by Peachy Papayas
Summary: James and Lily have always hated each other. But in their fourth year, a stupid dare compels James to ask out his enemy. When she refuses, he is shocked no girl has ever refused him before. And thus began his infatuation with a certain redhead...
1. Prologue: What Set the Ball Rolling

Disclaimer: Characters and settings are property of J.K. Rowling. What you don't recognize is mine. And I _wish _I owned the Marauders (specifically Sirius and Remus) but most unfortunately, I do not. L Prologue 

"Today," explained Professor Kettleburn in a wheezy voice, "we will be studying Kneazles. Can anyone tell me what a Kneazle is?"

At once, fourteen-year-old Lily Evans stuck her hand up excitedly. A petite redhead with bright green eyes, she was easily one of the prettiest girls in her year. Of course, Lily wasn't interested in silly things like boys and dates. No, she had other, more important things on her mind.

On the other side of the group, another fourteen-year-old, a Gryffindor like Lily, did a rather exaggerated imitation of her – he stuck his hand up in the air with a ridiculous look on his face, hopping up and down, squealing in a high voice, "Ooh, professor, I know! Call on _me, _Professor! Call on _me, _Know-It-All-Evans!"

Lily blushed a little, and saw, from the corner of her eye, two of her friends – Janine Garnet and Jennifer King – creep behind the boy – James Potter – and tackle him. He yelled out in surprise.

Almost at once, chaos erupted.

James was joined in the fight by his best friends, Sirius Black, Remus Lupin, and Peter Pettigrew; Janine and Jen were joined by their _other _friends, Alyssa Comforts and Marlene McKinnon. Lily hung back, not wanting to fight for fear of getting in trouble. As it turned out, she didn't need to.

The Kneazles, clearly irritated with the scuffle, leaped in and broke the squabbling teenagers apart with hisses and scratches. Lily watched Janine roll away, nursing her arm, which was covered in scratches. Jen, Marlene, and Alyssa also bore the marks of the Kneazles' claws. James, Lily was quite gratified to see, had a deep scratch across his left cheek. _Serves the bloody git right, _she thought.

"Stop!" exclaimed Professor Kettleburn, despite the fact that his animal charges had already broken the fight up without his aid. "Stop this at once! I have never seen such horrible conduct!" (_Clearly, you weren't paying attention last year, in the first class, when James lit your hat on fire, _thought Lily). "Twenty points from Gryffindor! Detention for all of you! With the exception of Miss Evans, of course," he added with a slightly gentler smile. Lily cringed, seeing the glares she received from the four boys in her house.

They'd be certain to get her back for being the only one not to be stuck in detention.

X-X-X-X-X

Lily looked up from her book – _Magical Theory_ – when the door opened. Her best friend – even out of their quintet of friends – Janine Garnet, walked in, looking as though she had merely come from a refreshing walk around the grounds, instead of detention. She was the first.

"How did detention go?"

"Could have been worse, I suppose. They stuck me with Black and Lupin."

Black and Lupin – Sirius Black and Remus Lupin, part of James Potter's little gang. Sirius and James had been friends forever, and had welcomed Remus and their fourth counterpart, Peter Pettigrew, into their group with open arms.

They called themselves the Marauders of Hogwarts – a name well earned. They went around, pulling pranks, tricking students, teachers, and ghosts alike. Lily found them annoying; everyone else found them charming.

"So what did you have to do?"

"Mmm… repotting Mandrakes. It wasn't too bad. I mean, Lupin's nice and all that. It's Black that I can't stand." Lily shook her head. Janine got along well with almost all of the Marauders. She had known James since the two were practically born, due to the fact that they were both purebloods and their families went about in the same social ring. Remus Lupin was a half-blood, and so she had not known him as long, but Janine seemed to like Remus quite a bit – but then, Remus had a sweet disposition and wasn't quite as arrogant as his friend. Peter, too, was a half-blood. It was mostly Sirius Black – the other pureblood of the group – that Janine did _not _like. Nobody quite understood how what had begun as a friendly rivalry back in the first year had blown into an all-out mutual loathing. Lily knew better than to ask.

"If you say so," Lily replied dubiously. "I frankly don't like any of them." She paused. "Well, except for Lupin. Him I can stand – but he's nice. The others aren't. Bullying people left and right like that…" She looked down at her book again, trying to find her spot.

"Says you. What're you reading?" Janine snatched the book away from her friend, making a face. "Ugh. This is _awful, _Lily. You're reading _Magical Theory_. That is _only _the most boring book known to wizardkind, my dear."

"It is not! It's fascinating." Lily grabbed it back, and sighed, closing the book. "Oh, darn it. I can't concentrate when you're in the room."

"Well, of course not. I'm so devastatingly gorgeous, who _could _concentrate with beauty like this around?" Lily rolled her eyes.

"Shut up and sit. We'll have to wait for the others."

X-X-X-X-X

"How was detention, mate?" James had been in detention the longest of the Marauders. So when he finally trudged up to his dormitory (desperately trying to rid himself of Comforts's irritating chatter), his friends were already waiting for him, clustered around something they had deemed the 'Marauder's Map' – a map they had created in third year.

"You know," remarked Remus as James ignored Sirius's question, coming over to peer at the map, "we really ought to change this. 'Misters James, Sirius, Remus, and Peter'? It's so obvious. If anybody finds it, it could be horribly incriminating."

"Use words we understand," complained Sirius loudly. They ignored him.

"We'll have to get nicknames," decreed Peter. "And I want to know how detention went."

"It went _fine. _Unless you count the fact that Comforts would not _bloody shut up._" Remus scowled. "Sorry, mate. Keep forgetting she's your girlfriend…"

"My detention was a _nightmare,_" groaned Sirius. Remus was grinning suddenly. "Garnet thought it would be _funny _to take off my earmuffs. According to Remus, I fainted dead away on the floor. He managed to revive me, though, after some work. Good thing Remus knows some handy revivification spells. And, of course, Garnet sat there, laughing her bloody arse off. I bet she'd _love _to faint away from hearing that unearthly sound." He scowled sullenly. "We're going to have to get her back."

"Later. We need to deal with Evans, first. Anybody got a suggestion?"

"Yeah." Sirius rolled his eyes. "Throw her in the lake and hope the Giant Squid eats her."

"Now that _does _hold promise."

"What if the Giant Squid's a vegetarian?" questioned Peter with fake innocence. Remus sniggered; James scowled.

"Shut up, Pete… I need something that's _really _going to throw her off… something she won't expect… something _original…_"

"Ask her out." There was a long silence as everyone turned to stare at Sirius. "What, what did I say?"

"How does asking her out help _at all?" _demanded James.

"James, you can have any girl you want – except for the ones that want _me, _of course. Hang on… that leaves you with no girls, doesn't it?" James hurled a pillow at him. "Right, right, I'm serious now." He grinned. "Wait! I'm _always-_"

"_SIRIUS._" All of his friends groaned. Sirius made a face.

"Fine, be that way. _I _think it's funny. Listen, Jamsie. You ask Evans out. She says yes. You publicly stand her up in front of the Great Hall. Everybody thinks it's hilarious; Evans can never show her face again. What do you say?"

"That's the stupidest idea I've ever heard," retorted James, just as Remus said, "That's horrible, Sirius. We're trying to _prank _her, not ruin her social life."

"_What _social life?"

James rolled his eyes. "You're an idiot, Sirius. Any _real _ideas?"

Sirius's eyes glittered. "Too chicken, James?" he asked lightly. The room went deadly silent, and everyone stared at him again. "What happened to that Gryffindor bravery? Thought you weren't afraid of _anything, _Potter."

"I'm not!"

"Fine. I _dare _you to ask her out. She'll say yes, and you can _still _humiliate her. I dunno… stand her up, or pour butterbeer on her head at the next Hogsmeade visit. What do you say?"

James frowned. "Sirius, stop."

"Well, if you're too scared-"

"I'm not." Sirius smirked, knowing he had won. "I'll _ask _Evans out, and I'll take her to Hogsmeade. But I'll hate it," James added miserably.

"And I'll laugh at you for being so miserable. Cheer up – it's only one date. Tomorrow morning, yeah?"

"Fine, fine, yeah. Good night." Grumbling, James went to his own bed and pulled the covers up over his head, trying not to think about the arduous task ahead (well, the date would be arduous, at least for him).

X-X-X-X-X

"Hey! Um… Evans! Can I have a word?"

Lily turned, frowning. Frankly, she didn't want to speak to James Potter at all. She couldn't stand him, but Janine elbowed her and dragged their other friends off. _Thanks a lot, _thought Lily acidly. She faced James. "What is it?" she demanded icily. "Come to turn my hair green? Charm my quills to spew ink in my face? Make my books scream curses when they're opened?"

"Hmm… well, I've already turned your hair green in first year, and the quills thing got old last year, after you fell for it the sixth time." Lily turned red with fury, and James smirked. "Thanks for the book-screaming one, though. Should be funny."

Lily began to stomp away, only to find James blocking her path. "Please move," she ordered coldly.

"Feisty today, aren't we, Evans? Come on now… what's your rush?"

"I have to catch up with my friends."

"I just have a question!"

"Go ask someone else, then." She shoved him aside with her shoulder, and marched off haughtily. James sighed in frustration. This wasn't working.

On the other hand, he, James Potter, could _not _turn down a dare, especially not one from Sirius Black. He ran after her, blocking her way again. He saw her reach for her wand, and whipped his own out. "Ah… come on now, Evans, no magic in the halls. If you hex me, I'll have to hex you back." _Assuming I can still move after you've finished, that is._ "This won't take any longer than a moment."

"Fine. Hurry up, though," snapped Lily irritably.

James, however, seemed to be taking his own cool time. He smiled at a few third-year Hufflepuffs and Ravenclaws that walked by. Giggling, they waved to James. He rumpled his hair in response, making it windswept, as though he had just dismounted from a broomstick. Lily huffed impatiently, and he remembered she was still there. Sighing, he said, "Listen, will you go out with me? To Hogsmeade?"

James _almost _grinned at the look of complete astonishment that crossed her face. "You want… _me…? _To go out with… _you? _James Potter, you could have practically any girl you want in this school!"

_This is working better than I thought._ "I know," replied James smoothly, rumpling his hair. "But I chose you, didn't I? You must be a special girl, then…"

"Hmm… go out with you… well, let's think about that…" A thoughtful look crossed her face for mere moments, and then it dropped, icy sarcasm taking its place. "Right, well, I've thought about it. No."

Only then did James realize that there was a group of Ravenclaws watching him, as they all burst into laughter. _Crap. _Immediately they all fled the hall, eager to spread the news.

Lily swooped haughtily away, leaving James standing by himself in the center of the hall. It took several moments for it to sink it.

_She had rejected him._

And that was what _really _set the ball rolling…

X-X-X-X-X

A/N: And that's all for the prologue… if I get some reviews, I'll update ASAP… Much love! Peaches


	2. Playing the Field

Disclaimer: Characters and settings are property of J.K. Rowling. What you don't recognize is mine. And I _wish _I owned the Marauders (specifically Sirius and Remus) but most unfortunately, I do not. L

X-X-X-X-X

Two Years Later 

Lily curled up in a squishy armchair, shivering even under her sweater. November of 1975 was unusually chilly, and Lily got cold easily. Smiling to herself – it was well into the evening, and the common room was silent with the exception of scratching quills – she opened her book and began to read.

Only to have the book snatched away from her. "Hey!" she protested indignantly, and scowled when her best friend flipped through the pages in boredom.

"Do _not _tell me you are reading _Magical Theory_ again. It's the most bloody boring book in existence, right up there with _Defensive Magical Theory_."

"It is not!" Lily snatched her beloved book from Janine's hands, and added with a grumble, "And I happen to think _Defensive Magical Theory_ is a very interesting read." Janine rolled her eyes, and Lily snapped, "Don't you have Quidditch practice or something to go to?"

"No, actually, I don't." Lily thought that the smug look on Janine's face should have been fined. "It's eight o'clock, Lily. Practice finished an hour ago."

"Oh. What about dinner?"

"I _repeat, _Lily. It's eight o'clock. Dinner's been over for hours. Or did you skip again so that you could study?" Janine's face was amusement mingled with disgust. "Oh, _honestly. _You've got the highest grades in our year. You're more or less the smartest witch in the entire bloody _school! _What more do you need to study for!?"

"Well, maybe if you studied more, you wouldn't have failed History of Magic last year!"

"I could have studied and passed if I had wanted to!"

"Then why _didn't _you?"

"I got an O.W.L. in History!"

"Barely! You were two questions away from a P!"

As was her custom, Janine ignored anything to which she couldn't come up with a retort and glanced at Lily's book, continuing, "And as if studying during dinner when there's _nothing to study for _isn't bad enough, you're reading _Magical Theory_ for pleasure."

"_You _read for pleasure," mumbled Lily. Which wasn't exactly untrue. Although, Janine's version of 'reading for pleasure' meant flicking through Fashion and Quidditch Magazines. Certainly not reading _Magical Theory_. With a sigh of exasperation, she demanded, "Fine, you don't have Quidditch practice. Why don't you go do some _extra _practice for the upcoming game?"

"You _are _coming to the game, aren't you?" Janine asked suspiciously. By 'the game,' Janine meant the first Quidditch match of the year, on November 18th.

Which, incidentally, was two days away.

"Of course I'm coming." _You'd skin me alive if I didn't._ "Three in the afternoon, against Slytherin, right?"

Janine groaned. "No! _Two _in the afternoon, against Slytherin! Lily, get it right!" Lily sighed. Janine came from a family of all Quidditch players, and had been on a broomstick practically since she was born. She was completely gung-ho about the sport and insisted all of her friends attend every match. But that also came from being a Chaser on the Quidditch Team since the second year. Lily, on the other hand, was notoriously afraid of heights, and wouldn't have gone near a broomstick if someone had paid her.

"Sorry, sorry." Lily held up her hands in surrender. "Come on, cut me some slack. Just _watching _flight makes me sick. You should be grateful I'm even coming."

"And you should be grateful I'm not _killing _you for even thinking of not coming," Janine replied in her snobbiest voice. "So there!" She threw Lily's book aside – Lily lunged for it, but Janine quickly blocked her. Lily's chin smacked into the coffee table as she swerved to avoid smacking into Janine. Fabian Prewett, that year's Head Boy, scowled at her. She gave him a weak smile, and scowled at her friend.

"You like getting me in trouble, don't you?"

"Always. Evans, if you do not come to the match, I will personally-"

"-Kill me. Yes, I know." She sighed.

"Besides," added Janine with a mischievous smile, "your _darling _James will be there, playing Chaser…" It was a long-standing joke among the sixth-year Gryffindors (and most of the school, actually) that James and Lily were destined for each other, if only because they used to hate each other so much (although that had certainly changed, what with James's daily ritual of asking Lily out).

"I don't like Potter, Janine!" yelled Lily vehemently. Everybody turned and stared while Lily flushed a bright red. Fabian stood up.

"Evans, come on. You're a prefect, and some of us are actually _trying _to work. Show a little restraint, would you?" He glowered at her, and returned to his parchment, which, judging by the shimmering red ink, was _not _a sheet of notes, but rather a letter from his girlfriend (who actually happened to be Janine, at the moment).

Janine flipped her long dark brown ponytail over her shoulder. "Yeah. Show a little restraint, would you, Evans?" She smirked when Lily seized a pillow and threw it at Janine. Still grinning, Janine bent and handed Lily her book back. "Here's your _darling _book back."

"Thank you," muttered Lily. "Leave me alone, Janine. Go snog Prewett. Interestingly, I've wondered about something – what does your brother say about you dating him?"

"Which one?" drawled a nearby voice. "She has so many. They're like a swarm of bees." Janine and Lily whirled on Sirius Black, who had snuck up unnoticed, lounging casually in the sofa behind them. Lily almost envied the casual grace with which he lounged there – the casual grace that was all about him, the way his hair flipped into his handsome gray eyes, the casual grace with which he gave them a roguish smile and winked at her…

_Okay, stop right **there**, Evans. You are not contemplating Sirius Black's sexiness. Although he **is** dead sexy._

_Ugh! I did **not** just think that! No, no, no! Ew! So wrong, so wrong! Stop, stop, stop!_

"Sod off, Black," snapped Janine. "Lily doesn't care for your flirtations." _Yes, I do! _Lily's inner hormones wailed. Lily's inner sensibility took a very large hammer and bashed them down forcibly. "And I only have four brothers."

"Oh, yes, _only four_…" He smirked, and then turned somber. "Listen, we've been thinking. We think-"

"You've actually _thought? _As in, _used your brains? _Apparently miracles _do _happen…" Sirius glowered loftily at Janine, a glower she was all too happy to return. Sirius opened his mouth – probably to snap out a witty retort, but Lily wisely intervened.

"Hang on," interrupted Lily. "Who is 'we'?" Sirius gave her a look that suggested she was crazy. "Right. You and your little circus of Potter, Lupin, and Pettigrew. Carry on, then."

"We think that we might be able to get into Hogsmeade for a little… celebration party, after the game."

Now it was Lily's turn to shoot him a look as though _he _were crazy. Which, given the idea he had just suggested, he might have been. "Are you mad?" she hissed at him. "We can't sneak the _entire bloody HOUSE _into Hogsmeade, Black! That's just… stupid!"

"We have a way," he replied with a confident smile that made Lily's inner hormones swoon. Her inner sensibility beat down the inner hormones with an even bigger hammer this time.

"Well, forget it," Lily fumed at him, looking to her friend to back her up. "I absolutely forbid it. I'll go to a teacher; you see if I don't."

Sirius gave her a huffy look. "You're no fun at all, Evans."

"If it keeps our entire house from getting expelled, I'll carry on _being _no fun, thanks. Janine, back me up!"

Janine looked startled at having been asked her opinion – she was waving across the room to Fabian. Sirius rolled her eyes when she asked, "What?" Lily glowered. "Oh! Well… hang on… it's not _such _a bad idea, you know… despite its coming from Black…"

"Always a veiled insult," grumbled Sirius, but Lily overrode him.

"WHAT!?"

"Just think, Lil! We'd be doing something different! It'd be so much fun!" Janine's eyes sparkled.

"No. Absolutely not. No way in _hell._ Understand?"

Janine huffed a breath. "Well, let's at _least _not have it in here." Her eyes sparkled suddenly. Lily groaned, knowing that look. It was her special look – the one she reserved for her craziest ideas. The ones that _always _got them in trouble. "How funny would it be if we used the dungeons near the Slytherin Common Room? I bet it'd _really _make them angry…"

Sirius paused. "That could work. Nice idea, Garnet. Would you like a medal for that? You, coming up with an idea. That's quite an achievement."

"Sod off, Black."

Sirius ignored her, looking thoughtful. "We should decorate the Slytherin common room in Gryffindor colors to celebrate our victory, first, though. That would undoubtedly piss the stupid buggers off…"

"Hang on!" snapped Lily irritably. "You're assuming you even _win _the match." Sirius and Janine glowered at her. "Oh, right. With the two of you on the team, how can you possibly _not _win?"

"Potter. You forgot Potter and his oversized ego, too," chirped a nearby voice. They turned to face Alyssa, who was toying with her short blond hair nearby. "Just got back from dinner; all of us." She gestured to Jen and Marlene. "By the way, Black, your friends are looking for you." She gave him a puzzled, but nonetheless polite smile. "Something about a fountain, I believe."

Sirius leapt to his feet. "Merlin! I'd completely forgotten! Thanks, Comforts." He grinned cheekily at her, and then made a face at Janine. "I'll be sure to pass along the idea to the boys. We'll get a nice medal made for you, saying; 'The Only Idea the Useless Bint Ever Came Up With…"

"Bugger off, Black!" she snapped. He flicked her off with a cheeky smirk and disappeared.

"Could you two at least _pretend _to get along once in a while? And why is it that you and Black can have a row, but Fabian never yells at _you_?" mused Lily crankily.

"Because she's shagging Prewett and you're not," said Jen wisely. Janine scowled at her.

"I am _not _shagging him!"

"What, do they call it something different these days"

Lily had been about to intervene (again), when the portrait hole slammed, signaling Sirius's departure. A sudden sigh of relief went up around the room. Lily peered around curiously.

"Well, you know Black," said a nearby fourth-year practically. "Makes a ruckus wherever he goes, doesn't he – how were we supposed to get _any _work done?"

X-X-X-X-X

"And here comes the Gryffindor team!" The freezing wind almost whipped Alyssa's words away – Alyssa almost always commentated for the matches. "Captain Garnet, Black, other Garnet, Potter, Rennet, King, and Barrington!" There were roars that _nearly _drowned out the boos coming from the Slytherins.

"And here comes the team that everybody loves to hate – the Slytherins!" There were yells of laughter (joined by yells of anger courtesy of the Slytherins), just as Alyssa cried out, "What? It's true, Professor – okay, okay!" She sighed, and continued, "Captain Rosier, Dolohov, Black, Mulciber, youngest Black, Jugson, and Travers! Slimy gits, if you – right, right, I _get _it, Professor!"

Lily shook her head in amusement. It seemed that, from what she'd heard, all commentators – of Ravenclaw, Hufflepuff, and Gryffindor, of course – were always prejudiced against Slytherins and loved to build up their own teams. Alyssa was no exception.

Lily watched Janine soar into the air, her broom wavering only slightly as she climbed steadily higher. Benedict Rennet, a seventh-year, who had caught the Quaffle, tossed it to Janine, who easily caught it and went streaking towards the Slytherin goal posts on her Nimbus 1001, which had only come out in the past year.

"Garnet takes the Quaffle!" Alyssa's words were practically muted out by the wind; Lily had to strain to hear them. "And she – _ouch, _that must have _hurt!"_

Janine dropped the Quaffle after being smacked in the side by a Bludger (and rolling over numerous times), but James zoomed below and caught it.

Without meaning to, Lily found her eyes straying to James. She was disgusted with herself for even thinking it, but he was a very good flier, and had she not known what his personality was like, she might have found him attractive. Especially when he flew. As if he were one with the broom._ Wow. I don't think I've seen **anybody** fly that way – and that includes when Janine dragged me to the Quidditch World Cup. He's so – ack! Back up, back up! No, no, no! My inner hormones will **not** win! Stop thinking of James Potter!_

"Are you all right, Lily?"

"I'm fine," Lily said gruffly to Marlene, who was beside her. "Peachy."

Flight was beautiful, as far as Lily was concerned, but she loathed it all the same. Just _watching _Potter fly so well – as if he didn't mind the height at all (which he probably didn't) – made her feel sick, although she _could _appreciate it. She looked at her gloved hands, tightly clenched in her lap.

"Hey!" She looked up – Marlene had to yell to be heard. "Are you _sure _you're okay? You look awful!"

"I'm fine!" Lily shouted back. Crossing her eyes, she tried to look at the match going on in front of her, but trying to be cross-eyed only confused her. She ended up mixing up the Slytherin and Gryffindor players. "What's the score?" she called to Marlene.

"20 – 40! Slytherin's winning!"

"When did _that _happen!?"

But Marlene had focused on the game again.

X-X-X-X-X

"Potter!" James could barely hear his voice, but Damien Garnet – current Captain, Beater, and seventh-year, not to mention Janine's brother – was _definitely _calling his name. He swerved, flying alongside the older boy, ducking occasionally so that Damien could swing his bat.

"What's up?" he shouted.

"Cassie's going crazy trying to catch the Snitch!" He was referring to Cassie Barrington, a fourth-year, and their seeker. "Rosier and Dolohov are being gits – she can barely move! We need to launch an all out offensive to keep them away! I've got Janine and Benedict working on that, but _you _have to keep Travers from catching the Snitch until Cassie can get there!"

"Got it!" hollered James, before diving away, seeing Quincy Travers – the Slytherin Seeker – take off towards the ground. James quickly blocked him. The Slytherin swore at him, trying to swerve around him, but James blocked him at every turn, grinning madly. Eventually, Travers got so infuriated that he gave up and flew in the other direction. James looked around, trying to spot Cassie – but the girl was being barraged by Bludgers. Sirius had just given up hitting Bludgers and was swooping towards her, Beater's bat raised. He spent the next five minutes swooping around her like a hawk, shooting threatening glares at anyone who dared to come too close.

James sighed – and saw Janine waving frantically at him, Quaffle in one arm. He nodded – she threw it at him, and he caught it, heading towards the Slytherin goal posts-

_Slam._

A bludger had slammed into his arm, and James dropped the Quaffle. Regulus Black, a fourth-year and Sirius's younger brother, swooped below and caught it. James sighed, roughly massaging his arm before taking off after Regulus.

This would be a long game.

X-X-X-X-X

Lily found her eyes picking out James again. Her sickness was abating a bit, and she could watch the players fly without feeling _too _nauseous. But it was becoming increasingly difficult to see the players.

"It's beginning to rain," complained Marlene, but she smiled when Lily magicked an umbrella over them. "Thanks, Lil." She sighed heavily. "It doesn't look like Cassie's spotted the Snitch yet, though…" Lily looked to their Seeker, and then here eyes flicked to James again. She had been watching him fly without actually watching to see if he – or anybody else – scored or not.

"What's the score?"

"Aren't you paying attention?" She sighed again. "Never mind. 80-60, Gryffindor."

"Oh, good."

"If Cassie doesn't catch the Snitch soon, though, Slytherin still might win." Lily didn't care. She was watching James again.

X-X-X-X-X

James flew around, waiting for Janine to pass the Quaffle – which she did, only not to him. James disliked not being the hero of the match, but he knew he had to let the other players score now and then. As he saw Benedict score and take a victory lap amidst the deafening cheers, James chanced a look at the around.

He sighed. The rain was pouring harder now; the match had been going on for over an hour. He'd nearly been hit by Bludgers four more times, nearly smacked with the Quaffle during a lapse of attention when Benedict had passed it to him, and…

He froze, and his hand jumped to his hair. Lily – _Lily Evans _– was watching him. Her eyes were boring straight into him, completely focused on him.

Well, that was a change. _Look at me, think I'm sexy… come on, now, Evans, who can resist a Quidditch player?_

As if she had noticed him watching her, though, she flushed and looked away, determinedly not looking at him. James smirked and waved in her direction, silently congratulating himself. _Potter: 1. Evans: 0_. The girls around her broke into cascades of giggles.

Reaching up, James rumpled his hair. "POTTER!" roared Damien, flying by. "Leave your bloody hair alone and _pay attention!"_

If at all possible while on a broomstick, James jumped and immediately concentrated on what he was supposed to be doing. He wished he knew what the score was, but Damien had already sped off, in hot pursuit of a Bludger heading for his sister. During a game, James rarely paid attention to the score. He spent his time scoring and passing – and thus had no idea what was going on around him. But, he figured, if they had been losing, Damien would be shouting at him. And aside from his call about James's hair, he hadn't shouted at James once. So it was safe to assume that they were winning.

James's eyes raked the field anxiously. A little ways off, Travers swooped around the pitch like a hawk, searching for the faintest glitter of gold. James frowned and took off towards him. Damien had given him specific orders not to let Travers anywhere near the Snitch, and that was what he was going to do. Besides, Benedict and Janine could carry the game on their own. James felt grouchy, not being able to score, so at one interval, he stole the pass – to Janine's chagrin, for it had been headed towards her – and scored. Janine shot him a hostile look, and he mournfully went back to blocking Travers.

At least that was fun – Travers regularly sent him very disgruntled looks. And as the match wore on, James swooped away – it wasn't like the Snitch was in sight, anyway – to do his job as a Chaser. And every time he scored, it was greeted by more cheers and applause.

X-X-X-X-X

One Hour Later 

"Now, I am sufficiently bored," confided Marlene. "The score's 120-120, neither of us is winning, and nobody's caught the Snitch yet. I might even take a nap."

Lily ignored her. She'd been unable to tear her eyes away from James the entire time – he _was _an amazing flier. The best she'd ever seen, actually. (Not that she'd seen many – at least, not without feeling dizzy and sick). She found herself wondering, vaguely, if James would ever become a Quidditch player when he graduated from Hogwarts.

Not that she'd care, of course. Oh, no.

"Lily, you've been watching Potter for over an hour. Give up." Lily's head snapped up – she stared at the young boy before her – Janine's youngest brother, Perseus, or Perry. He wrinkled his nose. "He's not going to notice you." Lily quickly glanced around, a flush rising in her cheeks, hoping nobody else had noticed her staring at James. "At least, not now," he amended. "Too busy concentrating. See? And – oh!" Perry shut his mouth as Cassie Barrington went into a straight dive, Travers hot on her trail. James whirled, dropping the Quaffle (Janine soared beneath to catch it, and in the time that the following events took place, scored eight times all on her own, as everybody was too busy watching the Seekers to pay attention to her or the Quaffle), and set off after Travers. Only this time, as opposed to the previous times when James had gone after Travers, something was different.

Travers held Antonin Dolohov's Beater's bat tightly in his hand.

Lily gasped.

X-X-X-X-X

James flattened himself against the broom. Travers' broom was faster than Cassie's, and already Travers was beginning to pass her.

He drew even with Cassie, passed her, and then drew even with Travers. "Come off it, Potter!" yelled Travers.

James shot him a mocking grin. "What? Planning to beat off Cassie with that Beater's bat? You're a coward, Travers! And that's illegal!"

Travers smirked. "Oh, don't worry. I'm not planning to hit _her _with it." And he slowed down marginally – Cassie swooped past him in a perfectly vertical dive – and then Travers bashed James's skull with the bat. James plummeted, dazedly hearing a collective gasp from around the stands and a furiously blowing whistle – he was no longer flying downwards, he was just _falling…_

_CRUNCH._

_What happened? _James wondered dazedly. _Ow. My head hurts. Actually, my everything hurts. Now hang on, why does everything hurt? Wasn't I chasing Travers?_

He couldn't really remember.

He heard a lot of shouting around – and a thud very close to him. The next thing he knew, James was seeing his best friend bending over him, shouting something – but Sirius seemed very far away, and James had no idea what he was saying.

_Yes, _thought James. _That's a problem. He looks very upset. I wonder why?_

His vision was fading – where were his glasses? _Right, they're on my face. How come I can't see? Everything's very… fuzzy… Did we win…?_

"GRYFFINDOR WINS! Seeker Cassie Barrington catches the Snitch as Beater Damien Garnet and Chasers Benedict Rennet and Janine Garnet slam headlong in Travers, knocking him from the air… Madam Hooch does not call it, bless her soul… James Potter looks a bit dead; it would be a shame if he died; we'd have to get another Chaser…"

Oh, thanks **a lot**, Comforts, be more worried about the team than whether or not I'm dying… hang on, I'm **not** dying, am I? Because that would suck. At least we won, though. Can I sleep now? Sirius is looking very upset. Well, I'll find out what's wrong with him in the morning, then… 

X-X-X-X-X

A/N: Hope you liked the chapter! Thanks for the awesome reviews – much love to all of you! Peaches

Important Note: Yes, this chapter has been changed. I know James was originally the Seeker, but after some contemplation, I decided that I liked him better as a Chaser. So I changed this chapter.


	3. The Reawakening

Disclaimer: Characters and settings are property of J.K. Rowling. What you don't recognize is mine. And I _wish _I owned the Marauders (specifically Sirius and Remus) but most unfortunately, I do not. L I own the original characters – namely Lily's friends and James's girlfriend, so far.

**Important Note: Yes, this chapter has been changed. Marginally. The last chapter's been changed, too. I know James was originally the Seeker, but after some contemplation, I decided that I liked him better as a Chaser. So I changed this chapter and the last one.**

X-X-X-X-X

James forced his eyes open, making them adjust to the blazing white that surrounded him. Sitting up in bed, he smiled a little, looking to the side – Sirius and Janine, still in their Quidditch cords, were slumped in chairs, fast asleep. Remus and Peter were there, as well – so was Jen, who was sleeping with her head in Remus's lap. _Comforts probably wouldn't like that, _thought James dizzily. Aside from all his Gryffindor friends, his current girlfriend – a pretty Ravenclaw named Audrey Caphis – was also present in the room, although she sat a bit away from the others, sleeping.

His bedside table and the cot next to him, as well, were covered in gifts – flowers, cards, candy – and numerous other things. _Probably from female admirers. I hope they left names. I'd like to thank them… personally. _He smirked, and decided to open them later. Shaking his head, he reached out and prodded Sirius. That was hard work – his left arm was very heavy. Eventually, he gave up and half-turned on his side, using his right arm instead.

Sirius, being Sirius, did not stir at all. Thankfully, however, Remus did. He blinked blearily at James. "Oh, good. You're awake. Best not wake the girls, though – Janine is probably going to claw your eyes out if she gets up."

James blinked. "What for?"

"Er… I believe her exact words were 'He's such a git and he's so stupid; why did he have to go taunting Travers when the prat had that stupid Beater's bat? What did he go showing off for?'"

"I wasn't showing off!" said James indignantly. "I was doing what Damien Garnet told me to do – blocking Travers from getting the Snitch! You can tell her that it's her bloody brother's fault!"

"Yes, well, I told her that. Janine, being Janine, did not listen to me. So you have to tell her that. Although I'd do it at a distance, if I were you."

James rubbed his forehead (with his right hand, seeing as he couldn't lift his left). "My left arm hurts," he said woefully, looking at it.

Remus snorted. "Of course it does. You broke it in two places in the fall. Incidentally, you also cracked three ribs."

"Any other injuries?"

"I heard Madam Pomfrey say you were concussed. Apparently, she gave you lots of pokes and prods-"

"Yes, I've always thought that habit of hers was rather kinky myself," replied James with a grin.

"-And – oh, shut up, you – she gave you a potion. She said, if you tried to stand, you'd probably be dizzy, and you arm will be a little difficult to lift for a couple of days."

"A little difficult, eh?" James strained his muscles to the lift the arm – it refused to move. "That's the understatement of the century. How do you know all this, anyway?"

Remus wiggled his ears. "Werewolf hearing, remember?"

James looked mildly intrigued. "I've always wondered how you did that ear-wiggling thing. I can't do it myself. Although I can snap my fingers, which I'd demonstrate for you, if I could lift my arm." _Whack._ "Ouch! You're not supposed to abuse the patient, Moony!"

Remus brandished his weapon (a pillow) threateningly. "I believe we're getting off the point."

"Which was?"

"You're a prat and you should never attempt to do anything that dangerous again."

"I don't remember you saying that."

"Well, that was the point I was _going _to make before we got off topic. And anyway, I doubt you remember _anything _between the end of the match and the moment you woke up several minutes ago."

James thought. "You're right," he said with some surprise. "I don't remember a thing."

"I do. You woke up once and called me Lily when I asked what had possessed you to go after Travers. Then you asked me out, and Damien came over then and commented how he never knew you swung that way and he will make a point to avoid you in the future should you ever set your sights on him."

"You're joking, surely."

"Go on thinking that, if you want. Just don't approach him for a while. You'll send him screaming in the other direction."

James groaned. _Great. Next thing you know, the rumor will be out that I'm gay. Or that I thought Remus was Evans and asked him out. Fantastic. _"Did Evans hear about it?"

"Well, she wasn't there, if that's what you mean. As to if she's heard about it… well, Marlene McKinnon dropped by earlier to check on Jen and Janine."

"Oh, that's nice," said James huffily. "Don't worry about me at all."

"No, she didn't, actually," said Remus with a smile. "I believe she said that you'd done so many stupid things in your life that this one probably wouldn't set you back much. Anyway, if she knows about it, she's probably told Lily, and if she hasn't, she's told Alyssa, which means the whole school knows by now." He smiled fondly, thinking of his girlfriend of the past two years.

"I don't know what you see in her. She never keeps her mouth shut."

"I know what he sees in her," said Sirius with a grin, now apparently awake. "And if you weren't so hung up on Evans, you'd see it too." He whistled. "Believe me, it's difficult to miss." Remus glowered at him.

"Hey! That's my friend you're talking about!" Jen King was up. She proceeded to ignore the silent scuffle that had broken out between Sirius and Remus. James looked to Janine, who was now also awake. For that matter, so were Audrey and Peter. He tried to inch away from Janine, who looked about to blow her top.

She was glaring at him very fiercely. "Don't start yelling at me," he began to say, but it was too late. Her shouts bounced off the walls.

"Are you daft!?" she shrieked at him. "Why don't you just go bash your head into a stone wall!? Or here's a great one – go throw yourself off the Astronomy Tower! Were you _trying _to kill yourself!?"

"Janine-" began Remus worriedly, looking towards Madam Pomfrey's office door. "You really shouldn't shout so-"

"-You're such a stupid prat!" continued Janine relentlessly. James quailed a little under her shouts. "I suppose it never _occurred _to you to even think _why _Travers had that Beater's bat? If Black hadn't sent that slowing charm at you – which, by the way, didn't work particularly well – you might have died!"

James blinked. Slowing charm? He looked at Sirius, who shrugged. "I didn't want to see your brains splattered all over the ground. Awful liability for the school, you know. Plus it would make such an awful mess to clean up. By the way. Did you know it's snowing outside now?"

"We're getting off topic," interrupted Remus. "We also had to postpone our victory party. We can't very well celebrate unless the hero of the match is there. If it weren't for you, Slytherin would have won. They're very upset about the loss, by the way. I don't think you should go anywhere without an escort."

_Great. Not only is Janine out for my blood – for something that **wasn't even my bloody fault** – but the Slytherins are as well. _"What time is it?" asked James with interest.

"Look at your watch, pillock," said Janine (albeit affectionately) as Peter answered, "Five in the morning."

James looked amused and turned to Janine. "Still angry?"

She paused. "No. But if you ever do anything like that again…"

"You'll kill me?"

"No, I'll leave the killing part to your mother. I'll… I'll do something awful."

"Nobody likes vague threats," said Sirius. "You should be more specific." She shoved him in the shoulder.

"I changed my mind. I _will _kill you. But first, I'll beat you half to death with a broomstick, and then set the bludgers on you. When they're done, I'll beat you with a broomstick again until you're bloody and bruised and can't even open your eyes. Then you can drown in your own blood."

"Ooh, that's very good," added Audrey with a giggle. "Nice imagery."

"Thanks."

"You could have the Thestrals eat him afterwards," suggested Jen. "I hear there are some on the grounds somewhere."

"Ooh, _there's _a good one. Thanks, Jen."

"No problem."

James made a face at her – half-grimace, half-grin. "Thanks, girls. I always knew I could count on you to make me feel better."

"Well, look on the bright side!" Janine paused. "Hang on, there isn't a bright side to this. Never mind. And it was just a warning, Potter. And my brother asked me to pass along the message that he'd hate to have to find another Chaser." She stood up and stretched. "I feel awful."

"Why?"

"Because I've spent the night in an uncomfortable chair with my head on Black's shoulder."

"They're hard chairs," added Peter helpfully.

"Yes. And judging by the way Black is squirming when you stretch like that, the chairs aren't the only things that are hard," added Jen with a grin. _Whack._ "Ouch! Remus!"

Remus waved his pillow. "Anybody else want to make stupid comments?" Long silence. "Good." He dropped the pillow on a nearby cot. "And don't even open your mouth now that the pillow's gone, Padfoot." Mercifully, everyone overlooked the nickname.

Janine sighed and bent over and touched her toes. Everybody turned to Sirius, who scowled. "What?" he snapped moodily. "It's not like I'm _watching _her or anything."

"That's what they all say," Jen said wisely. "I'll bet you're just driven mad with lust, and – get away from me, Lupin!" she squeaked, and dove around to the other side of the bed as Remus seized the pillow once more.

"Well, I've had a lovely time debating exactly _how _stupid James is, but it's time to get some food. I skipped dinner and Madam Pomfrey said if I wanted to be an idiot and stay here all night, she wasn't going to give me any food. So, if you'll all excuse me…"

"Will you get me something, too?" asked Sirius hopefully.

"No."

"What about me?" asked Remus.

"Of course. Unless you want to come with me."

"Why not? Nothing better to do. Madam Pomfrey isn't letting our boy James out anytime soon." They got up, and left. Jen sighed, and closed her eyes.

"Still got a crush on Lupin?" asked Audrey curiously.

"No."

"Very good," said James encouragingly. "Again, with more feeling."

"I don't!" snapped Jen. "Drop it, Potter, or I'll drop something _on your head!"_

James quailed under her dire glare. "You don't have to be so touchy about it," he mumbled. Audrey laid a gentle hand on his hair, smoothing it.

"Your hair is so messy," she said affectionately. _That was just a tad bit random, _James thought. He saw, from the corner of his eye, the others start backing away slowly, as if to give the couple some privacy. _Someone must have given Padfoot lessons in manners, _he thought with amusement. _Time was, he'd be hopping around, clicking pictures of me snogging a girl._

_Granted, I think we were thirteen, then._

James inwardly groaned as Audrey twined her arms about his neck. She was a nice enough girl, but he was bored with her, and really wanted nothing more than to simply push her away and tell her it was over. Of course, considering he was confined to a bed and couldn't lift one of his arms, it was probably not a good idea. He wouldn't be able to fend her off if she clawed at him.

Maybe it'd help to imagine she was Lily. But that was impossible – Audrey was wispily blonde, and it was frankly impossible to imagine for even a moment that she had sparkling green eyes and vivid red hair.

Audrey was kissing him.

He ignored it, although he responded mechanically. Thinking of Lily was a bit painful. Why did she hate him so much, anyway? It probably hadn't helped that, over the years, he had done innumerable things to her – put ink in her tea, turned her hair green, magicked her bed to throw her out whenever she lay down, stuck her feet to the floor when she was in a particular hurry, glued her books together, and so many other things…

Audrey pulled away, her lips fixed into a pout. "James," she whined plaintively.

Lily was a pretty girl; that was undeniable. She was easily one of the prettiest girls in school. Yet she hated him so much. James couldn't force his brain to understand that. After all, most girls loved him. Unfortunately, many boys had found their eyes traveling to Lily Evans in class, or in the library.

"James," said Audrey again, a little more loudly, a little more angrily.

Of course, most boys were far too sensible to ever pursue a relationship with _that _particular redhead. James made certain of that. Any bloke who thought himself worthy of Lily had to deal with James first. Well, James hadn't earned his reputation as one of the best duelers in school without reason. After the first few duels with several boys in older years, many had learned to stay well enough alone.

"James!"

Feeling a little dazed, he forced himself to return to the present and look at Audrey's angry light blue eyes. "I'm sorry," he said contritely, even though he knew he was lying through his teeth. "I'm just feeling a little dizzy, that's all."

Her anger vanished immediately, replaced by concern. "Madam Pomfrey did say you'd feel a bit dizzy for a couple of days. Why don't you get some rest? I'll come back later."

"Yes," said James vaguely. _Are all girls this gullible? Well, let's see – looking at all my past girlfriends, I think the answer to that would be YES. _"I think that'd be a good idea." He wasn't tired.

"All right." She kissed his cheek, her lips lingering there for a moment. "I'll see you later, all right?"

"Yeah, all right." He waved to her, pretending to close his eyes and go back to sleep. As soon as he heard the door snap shut, he rolled out of bed, ignoring the pain shooting through his left arm. _Forget this Hospital Wing, and forget Madam Pomfrey. I fully intend to be gone by the time Audrey comes back. And anyway, I'm hungry._

X-X-X-X-X

A/N: Okay! That's all for this chapter. This one's a bit short, I think, so… yeah. Whatever. I got lots of reviews on Chapter 1 (thanks!) but practically none on Chapter 2 (boohoo). Don't y'all love me no more? Sniff. Ah, well. By the way, I hope Audrey isn't too annoying. She won't feature a lot. I hadn't _actually _intended to make her that annoying, but, well… Whatever. Keep the reviews coming, please! Peaches


	4. A Change of Heart, Or Possibly Not

Disclaimer: Characters and settings are property of J.K. Rowling. What you don't recognize is mine. And I _wish _I owned the Marauders (specifically Sirius and Remus) but most unfortunately, I do not. L

Important Note: Chapters 2 and 3 have been changed (not so much three, but two is drastically different) so please check those out. I decided, after some deliberation, that I liked James better as a Chaser. It's a bit harder to right him as the hero of the match, though… Oh well. I think I did a decent job.

X-X-X-X-X

"Is something bothering you?"

Janine turned, slightly surprised. "Why would you think that?"

"Oh, I was just wondering. You've been awfully quiet, and, well… you're not usually quiet."

"I'm fine."

They continued on in silence, until Remus asked, "How are things with Fabian?"

"They're fine."

"Okay… how's your family?"

"They're fine, too."

Remus stopped. _Something must be bothering her._ "Fine? Is that the only thing you can come up with?"

"All right, they're okay." She sighed. "What's the matter with you? Why are you pestering me?"

"Because something is obviously bothering you, and-" She cut him off.

"Don't you think, if James claims he loves Lily so much-"

"More like infatuated with her," muttered Remus, and Janine nodded.

"Well, don't you think he ought not to be… I don't know, _not _going out with someone else? He's not exactly proving his love to her by dating someone else blatantly. Especially not by dating a _different _someone else every week."

"Which reminds me. It's Sunday. And it's been two weeks. Rather seems like Audrey's overdue to be binned, doesn't it?"

"Oh, that's _awful, _Remus." She paused. "If a little true." She ran her fingers through her hair. "I talked with my grandmother yesterday. Using floo, of course."

"I thought you said your family was fine."

"They _are _fine. But she wanted to discuss with me about my… er… God, this is so embarrassing."

Remus fixed her with a very interested look. "Spill," he ordered.

"My future," she admitted, red-cheeked. "Marriage, in fact."

"…Oh, dear."

"I know. She asked me if I was serious about Fabian."

"And are you?"

"No." Remus gave her a stern look. "Give me a break, Remus. I'm sixteen years old. If I were serious-"

"Your last name would be Black?" he suggested with a grin. She stared blankly at him, and then it clicked.

"Oh, that's the worse joke _ever!" _she groaned. "And let's be frank – no, I'm _not _serious – no pun intended – about Fabian. He's a sweet boy, but he's not my type."

Remus sighed. "I rather expected that." She shot him a quizzical look. "Janine, you're a lot like Sirius," he explained. "Which is part of the reason that you keep up the façade of disliking each other."

"First of all," she said, very loftily, "it's not a façade. And second of all, it has nothing to do with us being alike. There's bad blood between the Garnets and the Blacks."

"Is there?"

"Well, sort of. Our mothers couldn't stand each other. Long story. Something about an old boyfriend – my mother wouldn't tell me."

"Oh."

"Anyway, that's most of the reason. There's other stuff, too. Oh, and he's a completely unlikable prat."

"I _like _him."

"Yes, and I find that rather strange. But hey, how you swing is your decision." Remus shoved her good-naturedly, and she laughed. "Anyway – she told me that by the time I hit eighteen, I'd better start getting serious. She wants me to make a good, pureblooded marriage, and she considers Fabian the perfect specimen. Even if I don't like him all that much."

"Then why do you date him?"

"Well, he's good in-"

"Gah," said Remus, nearly falling over. Janine giggled.

"Good in classes and studies, I was going to say."

"Of course you were."

"He's rich, too."

"That's very shallow of you, you realize. Besides, James is rich, too. He'd make a wonderful husband, I imagine. Your grandmother would be pleased."

"You're kidding, right? If I married James, she'd be _thrilled. _She adores James. Thinks he's a good, respectable sort of boy. I suppose that's what most of the people who don't go to school with him – or teach him, or are related to him – think. But I don't want to marry him."

"Why not?"

"His hair is messy."

"You'd be surprised how many girls find that extremely attractive."

Janine blinked slowly. "I can't believe we're discussing Potter's attractiveness. Urgh. Let's talk about something else."

"All right. How's the family?"

"You've already asked me that."

"Right, well, that was a productive discussion. Let's go back to discussing James, shall we?"

"Really, Lupin, this is getting to be a habit. Always wanting to discuss Potter… him asking you out…"

Remus shot her a horrified look. "I would never date James." He turned thoughtful. "Possibly Sirius, though."

"Yes. That would be funny. I imagine there'd be mass suicides among the female population of Hogwarts if Black turned out to be gay, however."

"What, not if I turned out to be gay?"

"Well, that'd be a mass suicide where Alyssa is concerned. Aside from that, I doubt people would care."

"I'm touched."

"It's not that girl don't like you and find you sexy, Lupin." She gave him a sweetly innocent smile. "On the contrary, I find you _extremely _sexy."

"Sure you do."

"Of course I do! You're absolutely delicious. In fact, if you weren't dating one of my best friends, I'd probably have it off with you right now."

Remus gave her a slightly perturbed look. "You're joking, of course."

She smiled in a way he didn't like. "Maybe. But in any case, you _are _dating one of my best friends. Now, if you were dating anybody else – and that included Black – I wouldn't care. _Then _I'd have it off with you right now." She shrugged. "It's a pity, of course. Anyway, I probably _wouldn't _kill myself if somebody I found sexy turned out to be gay." She gave him a pointed look. "When I was thirteen, I fell in love with Nathan Brody – you know, that model for _Witch Weekly_? Then I found out _he _was gay." She sniffed melodramatically. "It was tragic."

"I'm sure."

They had reached the portrait of the green pear. Janine reached out and tickled it – it giggled and turned into a handle. She pulled the portrait open, and they crawled through. At once, they were accosted by seven or eight house elves, which put a temporary hold on their conversation. Only when they were surrounded by mountains of food did Remus speak again.

"We were discussing the possibility of you marrying Fabian."

"Yes, and I'm sick of discussing that. And don't you dare bring up Potter again, or I will twist off your head and use it as a Quaffle in February's match against Ravenclaw."

"Audrey was right, you know. You _are_ good with imagery."

"Hmm, perhaps Quaffle is a bit strong. Using it as a Bludger is more fun. I could whack it around with a Beater's bat. On the other hand, your head won't fly on it's own."

"You count enchant it."

"Yes, because using _Wingardium Leviosa _throughout the match will be _completely _legal."

"I somehow doubt using someone's head as a Bludger would be legal to begin with."

"True. I suppose we'll just have to stick with using your head as a Quaffle, then."

"I suppose so." They continued eat in silence. Rather superciliously, Janine was licking chocolate glaze from a doughnut off her fingers. He made a face. "Must you do that? Stop."

"If it bothers you." It occurred to Remus again that Janine was uncannily like Sirius, for all her hatred of him. Not for the first time, he thought it would probably be good for the two of them to date, just for a week – it'd probably teach the pair of them a valuable lesson about relations with the opposite sex. "Does it bother you?"

"Of course it does. It'd bother any member of the male population."

"It'd probably bother certain members of the female population, too. Assuming, of course, that those female members had boyfriends belonging to the aforementioned members of the male population that were also bothered by it."

"I assure you, it'd bother some of female population for entirely different reasons." She grabbed a piece of bacon and threw it at him – he caught it in his mouth, chewing thoughtfully. "Almost six o'clock. Shall we go back up?"

"What for? They'll be serving breakfast upstairs soon, anyway. And it's not like we can eat again… well, you can, I suppose. Although you're looking a bit peaky. Want to go to the Hospital Wing and lie down?"

Remus glanced at her thoughtfully. He wondered, (also not for the first time), how much she guessed or knew about his condition. After all, the full moon was in two days, and it seemed, around the time of the full moon, she got more cautious around him, as did her friends – with the exception of Alyssa. Alyssa's demeanor never changed, indicating that she had no idea of his change. Which was good, because Alyssa was deathly afraid of werewolves, due to a rather bad experience with them when she had been younger. Her friends, on the other hand… But, as always, Janine's clear blue eyes stared back at him, smiling yet revealing nothing. He sighed.

X-X-X-X-X

Lily inspected her reflection in the mirror, adjusting her tie. As always, her reflection was immaculately perfect. She smiled. Monday morning and time for class. _Wow. I really do look like a prefect. I hope the girls hurry up and wake up, I don't want to be late and lose poi-_

_Bang. Bang-bang-bang._ "Lily! Bloody hell, open the door! You're _hogging _the bathroom!"

With a tired sigh, Lily pushed the door open, allowing the flood of girls to go in, squabbling over makeup and fighting for the fluffiest towels. Marlene paused in the doorway, already dressed. "And _this _is why I get up an hour earlier than everybody else."

Amused, she went into one of the toilet stalls and pulled the flush. Instantly, three angry squeals issued from the shower stalls. "MARLENE!"

"Sorry, couldn't resist." Marlene grinned a little, pulling on one of her curls. Her smile faded a bit. "Merlin, I wish I had straight hair."

"No, you don't," replied Janine irritably, popping her head out past the shower curtain, her hair dripping wet. "It's frightfully boring. Hand me the shampoo, would you?"

Lily looked at the wide assortment of bottles clustered on the sink. "Which one?"

"Any one! I don't care!"

Lily shrugged, and picked up the nearest one, tossing it to her friend, who caught it and promptly disappeared back behind the curtain. Then there was a shriek, and the bottle was chucked back out of the shower. Lily and Marlene ducked as it thumped against the wall and rolled away across the floor. "Ugh, Lily, this stuff smells like _wisteria! _It's Alyssa's!"

"But you said you didn't ca-"

"Give me the one that smells like lavender!" Marlene rolled her eyes, and picked up a pale purple bottle entitled "Lavender Dreams."

"Reckon this one is it?"

"It better be," grumbled Lily as Marlene handed it off to Janine, who didn't bother to thank her.

"We're probably going to be late for class," warned Marlene. Lily shrugged.

"If they're not out in five minutes, we're leaving without them."

X-X-X-X-X

"Thrilled though I am that you find Miss Evans's hair more riveting than my discussion on Patronuses, Mr. Potter, I would much prefer if you paid attention when I spoke."

James snapped his head up, flushing a little as the class around him sniggered. From what he could see of Lily, he noticed that she was bright pink – which either meant she was embarrassed or angry. He guessed it was the latter.

Audrey, who was beside him, was giving him a pouty look. But it wasn't because he was staring after Lily. "You're going to get us in trouble!"

_Bloody Ravenclaws. They just have__ to be goody-goodies – can't stand to get in even a little__ trouble… All right, that's it. This girl has to go._

"Perhaps Mr. Black can tell us why the Patronus is the most effective defense against a Lethifold. Mr. Black?"

"No idea," said Sirius, yawning widely. Professor Violet's look was severe.

"I see. Miss McKinnon?"

Marlene looked up in surprise – James could see a note in her lap, bearing the words '_Dear Fabian,_' – and mustered an embarrassed reply. "I – er – I don't know, Professor." _Hang on, _thought James. _I thought Fabian Prewett was dating __Janine__…_

Violet's eyes were very cold, now. "It seems that our Gryffindors aren't in top form, today. Miss Evans?"

"It is most effective because the Lethifold only attacks in the darkness of the night, when it can blend in with its surroundings. Thus, a Patronus embodies light, and will cause the Lethifold to withdraw into the shadows. It is also a clear, obvious indication that the victim is very much awake, and Lethifolds attack sleeping wizards and witches."

"Correct. I would award points to Gryffindor, but due to the dismal response of your fellow housemates, I will reward you by _not _taking points away from them." Marlene flushed while Sirius and James looked rather unconcerned. Professor Violet returned to her discussion and this time, James pretended to be paying attention.

When Violet wasn't looking at any of them, however, Lily whipped her head around and scowled at him, her green eyes furious. James gave her a tiny wave, smirking, until – "Mr. Potter! Miss Evans! Pay _attention!"_ Professor Violet's voice cracked like a whip. Both students snapped their heads around.

X-X-X-X-X

_Bloody Potter. Staring at me, getting us all in trouble… Ugh._ Lily glanced at him out of the corner of her eye – he was staring at Violet, one arm draped over the back of Audrey's chair, the other twirling a quill around as he stared at Violet, trying to pay attention.

_He's actually paying attention__! Oh, well, at least he's not staring at me anymore…_

As if he had heard her thoughts, James turned around and grinned at her. He let go of his quill long enough to run a hand through his hair. Lily made a face at him and quickly looked down at her parchment, cheeks flaming.

_Damn stupid Potter! Ugh…_

_What does he see in me, anyway?_

_And why am I blushing?_

_It's not like I like him. Hah, yeah right. Potter? Good heavens, no. He's only after me because he can't have me. That's all he wants. I'm not stupid enough to fall for that hoax…_

_Am I?_

She refused to look up for the rest of class.

X-X-X-X-X

A/N: This is what is commonly called a 'filler chapter.' It serves virtually no purpose to the story whatsoever. Still, Janine and Remus's conversation was tons of fun to write. Reviews will be incentive for me to update ASAP… although I'm going back to school tomorrow (wah, Spring Break is over) – so I'm going to have less time. The more reviews I get, the faster I'll update. XOXO Peaches


	5. Snakes and Lions

Disclaimer: Characters and settings are property of J.K. Rowling. What you don't recognize is mine. And I _wish _I owned the Marauders (specifically Sirius and Remus) but most unfortunately, I do not. L

Important Note: Chapters 2 and 3 have been changed (not so much three, but two is drastically different) so please check those out. I decided, after some deliberation, that I liked James better as a Chaser. It's a bit harder to right him as the hero of the match, though… Oh well. I think I did a decent job.

X-X-X-X-X

"What's the matter with you, Lily?" asked Marlene as they quietly packed up after class. They were among the last to leave – the others had simply raced out the door. "Your face is like a tomato."

"Nothing," lied Lily hastily, and instead focused on the parchment crumpled up in Marlene's fist. "What's that?"

"Nothing," said Marlene quickly, stuffing it in her pocket. "It's nothing."

_Hmm… looks like I'm not the only one keeping secrets…_ _Hang on, I haven't got a secret! _A deep red flush rose in her face. _It's not as though I like Potter, so I don't have a secret! Right? Right!_

_Bloody hell, Evans, you're talking to yourself. You know, they say the first sign of insanity is talking to yourself._

"Clearly." Lily jumped and stared at Marlene, who was giving her a bemused smile. "You said the first sign of insanity is talking to yourself. That's true." Then Lily realized she had spoken aloud. She flushed all the more deeply, and Marlene laughed. "Don't worry. I won't tell about your crush on Potter."

"I don't have a crush on him! I-"

"Lily! Calm down; I was only kidding." Marlene stared at her suspiciously. "You _don't _have a crush on him, do you? Because, you know," she added quickly as Lily began turning red again, "it's perfectly all right if you do. Lots of people. I mean, look at Janine, right? She has a crush on him…"

"She does?" Lily asked blankly.

"No, I don't!" They whirled – Janine had been sitting with one of the Ravenclaws (having gotten to class late), and was glowering at the two girls. "I wish people would drop that. I said James was 'cute.' And that was second year, and I meant in a very platonic, brotherly sort of way!" Marlene and Lily exchanged grins. "I did!"

"You know," teased Lily, "if you have a crush on him, I wish he would ask _you _out. At least you'd say yes." Janine went quiet and muttered something unintelligible under her breath. "What did you say?"

"Girls!" They all turned to Violet, who was regarding them irritably. "Take your gossip elsewhere! I don't want to hear it!"

They hastily ran out, all giggling madly. Lily stopped Janine when they were at a safe distance.

"So? What did you say?"

Janine shot her an irritable look, having stopped giggling. "I _said, _I've already gone out with Potter!" Her two friends stared at her, and she blushed. "Okay, not _exactly._ There was this one time, before fourth year – it was a bit stupid, really, we only kissed _once, _just to see what would happen – nothing did, of course, but anyway – Black came upon us and made so much fun of us that we never let it get past that one kiss. Thankfully – I don't think Black exactly _cherished _the thought of us together."

"Why, how did he take it?" asked Marlene curiously.

"He was fine with it – although I have my suspicions as to what he said to James when I _wasn't _there." She made a face. "He took pictures of us kissing in the Leaky Cauldron. But I told him if he ever told anyone, I'd rip his throat out and stomp on it. And _yes,_" she added, just as Marlene opened her mouth, "I do know that I'm good with imagery. I get that a lot."

Marlene smirked as the three girls began walking off again. "But, you know…" said Marlene slowly, "Potter is awfully good-looking."

"Yes," agreed Lily poisonously. "He's awfully big-headed, too." Marlene and Janine exchanged looks. "Don't do that whole 'exchanging looks' thing. It usually means that you're both thinking something that you think is obvious to you and not to me. And it's usually not right, either."

"We were just observing," said Janine very cautiously, "that you don't seem to like Potter much."

"And we were also remembering," added Marlene slowly, "how relationships between two people often stem from a mutual dislike for each other. You know?"

Lily scowled. "Are you saying – are you _saying _that you think Potter and I are going to have a _relationship?"_ she spat.

Janine backed away slowly. "You know, you already _do _have a relationship. Just not a very good one."

Lily scowled. "I'll have you know that-"

"Go on, Snape!" The three girls froze and whirled as a laughing voice floated from around the corner. "Go ahead! Make me stop!"

Lily pulled out her wand and angrily stepped around the corner.

X-X-X-X-X

_A Few Minutes Earlier…_

"Padfoot!" Peter stomped on Sirius's foot, throwing an arm out to block him and James. (That night was the full moon, so Remus was in the hospital wing – "My mother's sick," he had explained to the girls the day before. Alyssa had taken it in stride, but the others nodded dubiously). "Look!"

Sure enough, just slightly ahead of them, Severus Snape walked slowly, inspecting a parchment.

Sirius expelled a soft breath through his teeth, grinning. "_Excellent._" He raised his wand-

And just as he did, Snape whirled, but James was first. "_Expelliarmus!"_ Snape's wand flew from his hand (Peter caught it), and Snape slammed backwards into a stone wall, glaring spitefully up as the three Gryffindors approached him.

"Well," he sneered, "if it isn't Saint Potter and his little friends. Where's your other cohort?"

The three boys exchanged looks and didn't answer. Instead, Sirius lifted Snape by the neck of his robes and slammed him against the walls. "We haven't seen your greasy little head around recently," he sneered.

"How fortunate for you," snapped Snape, trying to push Sirius away (it didn't work). "Let me go, Black!"

"Make me, you git," retorted Sirius, moments before his fist slammed into the side of the other boy's face. Peter and James crowded around, smirking.

"With pleasure, Black," snarled Snape, sending his knee into Sirius's stomach. Howling, the Gryffindor boy let go, giving Snape time to snatch his wand and point it at Sirius threateningly. Peter and James had reacted as one, going to their fallen friend's side, and as a result, neither had his wand out. "Who's the dangerous one now, Black?" asked Snape, wiping blood from the corner of his mouth.

Sirius sat up on his elbows, glowering at Snape. "Think you're so smart, do you? You're hardly dangerous, Snape." He smirked. "Always trying to get us into trouble like you are… you'll pay for it, one day. We'll make you sorry."

James's mind was already whirling with the possibilities – he wanted to do something _spectacular, _something that would make Snape really sorry…

"Will you, Black? I'd like to see you try, you pathetic excuse for a pureblood. Hanging around with filthy half-bloods like Pettigrew and Lupin…"

Sirius shot to his feet, scowling. "Leave Remus alone!" Peter felt moderately insulted that Sirius didn't bother to rush to his defense, but then again, Peter was standing _right there. _It was considered extremely low to insult someone who wasn't even present to defend himself.

"Oh, it seems I hit a nerve. What's the matter, Black? Feel the need to defend your boyfriend?"

"Piss off! You're a greasy git, Snape! A greasy git, you hear me?" Sirius's fists clenched and unclenched.

"How many times has that come up in our _conversation? _I always figured you were more creative than that. Of course, to figure _you _to be creative, I'd also had to credit you with a brain." Sirius's fist slammed into Snape's cheek again. "You bloody bastard! Let go of me!"

In response, Sirius began to thoroughly beat him. Peter backed away nervously, not liking the looks of cold malice in James and Sirius's eyes – they clearly thought this was fun. Enough was enough. "Guys, stop…"

"Don't be such a wimp, Wormtail!"

Snape coughed blood onto Sirius's shirt, causing the other boy to jerk backwards in disgust. "Have pet names for each other, do you? Didn't know you were a pansy as well, Potter. My, your dormitory must be like a heaven for you lot." With a low growl, James lunged for Snape, but Sirius got that first. Snape gasped in pain as Sirius's fist connected with his nose, letting a sharp crack echo through the all.

"Make me stop, why don't you!" Snape opened his mouth, but Sirius cut him off with a cold grin, taunting him. "Go on, Snape! Go ahead! Make me stop!"

And then Lily Evans stepped around the corner, flanked by Marlene McKinnon and Janine Garnet, her wand directly pointed at the four of them, a look of complete fury on her face. _Oh, crap, _thought James, and his hand jumped to his hair.

X-X-X-X-X

"Lower your bloody hand, Potter!" she spat. "Worrying about how you look at a time like this – I can't _believe _you! Leave him _alone!"_

"I thought I told you," snarled Snape, "that I didn't _want _any help from a Mudblood like you! Are all Gryffindors this thick, or is it just you and these three idiots?" Sirius's fist slammed into his cheek again. Already, it was mottled with dark, purple bruises, and another was forming.

"Stop!" shrieked Lily. "Stop that at once! If you don't, I'll-"

"Sod off, Evans!" snapped Sirius. "Can't you see we're busy? Where's your Gryffindor pride?" James smirked a little; Lily glared at him. Peter, on the other hand, shot her a plaintive look with a clear meaning: _Do something._

"Stop," she ordered again, firmly. Her green eyes glittered threateningly. "Or I'll hex all of you into next century and dump you in detention!" With a face, Sirius let go of Snape, letting him drop to the ground, and backed away, his arms spread as he bowed mockingly. "Fifty points from Gryffindor!" she hissed. They all stared at her – even Peter, Janine, and Marlene. "Attacking another student is… it's… it's despicable, that's what it is!"

"Evans, chill out," ordered James, now scowling as well. "Fifty points is pushing it."

"It most certainly is not! I'm a prefect, and I'll be _damned _if I'm going to let you smirch Gryffindor honor and attack another student without cause…"

"Of course we had a reason," said Sirius with a smirk. "He exists. That's plenty reason to attack Snivellus. Oy, where do you think _you're _going?" he added at Snape, who was trying to sidle away. He lunged for Snape at the same time James did – but Marlene and Janine got there first, Janine tackling Sirius, Marlene knocked James to the floor. "Bloody hell, Garnet!" roared Sirius as they struggled on the ground. "_Butt out!"_

"Make me, Black!" she screeched in his ear; he flinched. "Snape! Go, you idiot!" Snape went, fleeing down the hall.

Marlene and James had already settled matters with a quick scuffle – Marlene was seated firmly atop James, not allowing him to move much. He did, however, sit up on his elbows and twist to look at Snape. "Bloody coward," he snarled. Marlene slapped him. "Ow!"

"What's going on here?" came a bellow. The six students looked up and stared at Fabian Prewett and Damien Garnet (both of whom were rapidly turning red in the face). To Lily's astonishment, Janine's younger brother Perry was staring at them with wide eyes. _What's he doing with a pair of older students?_

"Get him, Janine!" he yelled eagerly, but Damien yanked the younger boy behind him, furiously storming over to Janine and pulling her off of Sirius, which was a bit difficult, due to the fact that she had a fistful of his shirt in one hand, the other pulled back in a fist, and he was yanking her skirt with one hand and her hair with the other.

"What are you _doing?" _he hissed. Fabian, however, made no qualms about shouting.

"This is unbelievable! You're all unbelievable!" he roared. "This is a disgrace! And Black, Potter, what do you think you're doing, attacking girls?"

"Attacking girls?" roared James in response, shoving Marlene off of him (she gave an indignant squeal and clambered away from him). "They attacked us first!"

"I don't care! That's now way to act! Didn't your father raise you to be a gentleman?" Within moments, Fabian and James were shouting at each other, Damien and Janine were arguing in heated whispers, and Sirius was nursing what was rapidly turning into a black eye. Marlene sat off to the side, flushing, while Lily, Peter, and Perry stood a little bit away, not wanting to get involved.

Finally, Fabian and James's argument seemed to have reached a stalemate as they sat there, glowering at each other. Sirius was sending mental daggers at Janine's turned back – he was clearly sulking – and Janine was standing there, scowling at her brother, her fists firmly planted on her hips.

"I am not going to tell Professor McGonagall about this," said Fabian at last, coldly. "I'm also not going to ever mention this incident ever again. Go clean yourselves up. Get healed; make your excuses to Madam Pomfrey. Damien, let's go. We were supposed to be helping your brother find the Headmaster's office." The three of them started off, until, at last, Fabian turned with a scowl. "I expected you to break this up, Evans. What kind of prefect are you? And _you,_" he added in Janine's direction. "You ought to set a better example for your younger brother." He stormed away.

Marlene smiled weakly around. "Well. That's one way to break up a fight, I suppose." Everyone glared at her. "Jen is going to kill us for leaving her out," she added to Janine, who shrugged, brushing off dust from her skirt.

Janine glowered at James and Sirius. "I hope you two have learned your lessons about attacking someone when their back is turned. We're Gryffindors; we have more honor than that. Lily, are you coming?" she added arrogantly. Lily sighed, and glowered back at James and Sirius as Marlene followed Janine from the corridor.

"Oh, Black? And Potter?" They glanced at her. "Detention on Friday." She stormed away as both Sirius and James flicked her off as one.

Peter gave them an 'I told you so' sort of look. Sirius glowered at him. "If you say what I think you're going to say, I'll hit you." Peter hastily shut his mouth. "You'd have to pick an anal prefect to be the love of your life, wouldn't you?" he added to James. "Of all the damned people to pick for your future wife, it would _have _to be Evans…"

"She is _not _my future wife! All I'm doing is asking her out. And anyway, it was your fault," retorted James. "You're the one who dared me to in the first place."

"I hadn't expected you to take it this far!" He raked a hand through his hair. "We just lost fifty points. Great. At least Prewett didn't take points off."

"He's mostly mad because you were fighting with his girlfriend," pointed out Peter reasonably. "Although the fact that we were fighting so loudly didn't help. By the way," he added, with a dark look, "what possessed the two of you to _take _it so far?"

"I thought I told you not to be such a wimp," James retorted. "Where's your sense of adventure?"

"That's no _adventure, _Prongs, that's just… just mean!"

"Oh, it's _mean, _is it? You're really pathetic, sometimes, Wormtail, you really are. I wonder why they placed you in Gryffindors. Now, if you'll _excuse _me, I've got something to do. So you two can scuttle off and be good little boys, but I'm going to be a _real _man and deal with this problem once and for all." And Sirius stormed away, robes billowing out behind him in a manner that put Peter in the mind of a Slytherin.

X-X-X-X-X

Snape stormed down the corridor, wiping blood from his mouth. "Bastards," he hissed. "Stupid bastards – go to hell, all of them-"

"Talking to yourself, are you, Snivellus?" Snape whirled, whipping his wand out – Sirius already had his own out, pointing it at Snape threateningly as he advanced. "The only bastard around here is _you. _You think you're so smart, skulking around, dabbling in the Dark Arts, trying to get us expelled…"

"You'd deserve it if you were," snarled Snape in response. "Piss off, Black! Didn't your females bring you to heel?"

"You don't even deserve to _be _at Hogwarts, Snivellus. This school would be better off without you." Sirius grinned, malice lining every inch of his face. "It's about time we dealt with you properly."

"Fine!" spat Snape, a furious scowl on his face. "Trophy room, midnight. One duel to settle this once and for-"

"No," interrupted Sirius, still snarling. His eyes glittered coldly. "I won't have you picking fights with us anymore. You _will _leave Lupin alone. He's better than you are."

"He's less than I'll ever be. He's a half-blood, Black. It's no wonder your mother hates you. You've got no pureblood honor."

"Pureblood mania, you mean." Sirius bared his teeth. "Tonight, Snivellus. Go bash your head into the Whomping Willow, and it'll teach you a lesson you'll _never _forget. _Remus _will teach you a lesson you'll never forget." He stalked away, throwing over his shoulder, "Maybe you'll learn who the powerful ones _really _are, then."

Snape watched him, and spat on the floor after Sirius had disappeared. He resolved to go out to the Whomping Willow and take on Sirius once and for all – and prove who really _was _the dangerous, powerful one of the two. It'd serve him right.

Gripping his wand, he stalked off in the other direction, mentally going over all the nastiest hexes he could think of.

X-X-X-X-X

A/N: Right. Okay. Here's the next Chapter – drop me a review, and I'll _really_ appreciate it! To answer a question that came up in the reviews, the reason I can update so fast is (normally) I have the story typed out ahead of time for when I'm short on time, like I am now. And the reason that I haven't updated, even though I've had it all typed out, was because I've been too busy. I'm still busy, too. I'm not even supposed to be on my computer – I'm supposed to be doing all the homework I have. Anyway, about this chapter…

I know Sirius is a bit OOC in this chapter, but this is rather how I picture him. He's a nice guy, but too rash for his own good. And any chance to torment Snape is a golden opportunity in his eyes, which is why he's so evil. And he doesn't stop, even for a moment, to think what might happen to Remus _or _Snape should one encounter the other on the full moon.

As for James… well, after reading "Snape's Worst Memory" in OotP, I always sort of figured James to be a bastard (even though I absolutely LOVE him to death). I figure he's a lot like Sirius, which is why I made him present when Sirius told Snape the truth. He's a bit more conscious of the consequences of his actions, as you'll discover later. You'll find out _my _reasons for him saving Snape in the next chapter or two…

And you'll also notice that I made PETER the one who tries to stop them. I figure that Peter must be a pretty cool guy, to hang out with the Marauders. He chose the wrong path, and that changed him. He's not as talented as the others, no, but he's a really good guy, on the inside… at least, for now. Anyway, he's still too chicken to go against James and Sirius by telling Remus what they did, or preventing Snape from getting to the Whomping Willow (not that he really _could, _anyway).

After this, we're going to gain more insight into the other characters – more Sirius, more Peter, more Remus, more of Lily's friends, and more Snape. And, of course, Lily and James will remain the prominent characters.

I hope you liked the chapter – leave me a review, and I'll be motivated to update faster! The more reviews I get, the faster I'll update. The less I get, the longer I'll wait.


	6. Party in the Common Room

Disclaimer: Characters and settings are property of J.K. Rowling. What you don't recognize is mine. And I _wish _I owned the Marauders (specifically Sirius and Remus) but most unfortunately, I do not. L

X-X-X-X-X

"Potter. Black." Damien's eyes were cold as he glared at them both, but he said nothing of that afternoon's incident. "We're planning on having the celebration party for the Quidditch match tonight."

Sirius's jaw dropped. "But Remus isn't here!"

"Yes, I know. He's visiting his sick mother." The boy shrugged. "We've put it off long enough. If you want, we can have some 'Coming-Back' party for him when gets back from home." _But home isn't where he is… _thought James frantically. He searched for another excuse. A party wasn't a party unless _all _the Marauders were present, and they were planning on being with Remus that night.

"It's a school night!"

"I'm aware of that, thanks." Damien was giving him shifty looks – _Oh, great. This whole asking-Moony-out-because-I-thought-he-was-Lily thing is going to follow me for the rest of my life._ "And anyway, I already talked about it with Fabian. I'm not waiting for next weekend to come around – so its tonight. But Fabian made me swear that the Quidditch team will stay behind when it's over and help clean up." He shrugged. "We probably won't be up past midnight, anyway."

"Damien, I need my beauty sleep!" whined Jen from nearby – the girls had been listening.

"Not that it's helping," added Sirius in a loud voice. Jen scowled at him and threw a book at him. She missed, but then, she wasn't trying very hard.

"I'm putting you boys in charge of getting the food and drink. Party starts at eight," he added. "You girls-" He pointed to Jen and Janine. "Music and decorations. We'll have it in the common room. All right?" Without waiting for a response, he disappeared.

Sirius, Peter, and James exchanged significant looks. _This is bad, _thought James. _Moony's going to hate us for bailing out on him – and we can't without looking suspicious!_

X-X-X-X-X

"I understand." Remus sighed. "It's not a big deal, guys. So I'm missing one party. So what? There'll be others."

"Yeah, but…" Sirius, Peter, and James exchanged looks. "I mean, don't you want us to stay with you tonight? You know, transform and-"

"Shut up!" hissed Remus, and then he lay back against the pillows, looking exhausted. "I don't want everyone to hear, you idiot. And anyway, I made it for plenty of years without you. I still can."

"But-"

"No buts." Remus flapped his hands, waving them away. "Go. Shoo. Enjoy the party. And make my excuses to Alyssa, would you?" he added wistfully. "Say I wrote you guys from home and told her to have a good time without me, or something."

They nodded; James clapped Remus on the shoulder. "I _am _sorry, mate." Remus shoved him lightly.

"Forget it. Have a nice time."

"Yeah. Okay." Sirius and Peter had already left. James waved, still feeling guilty for having to leave Remus alone. It would be a lonely night for him…

X-X-X-X-X

Lily sat on a windowsill by herself, surveying the party to ensure it didn't get too out of hand. She took a sip of her butterbeer, and then stared at it in surprise. How many bottles had she had in the last hour? She couldn't remember.

All of her friends were busy dancing to the Wizarding Wireless (currently blasting the newest hit from Celestina Warbeck – just what did people find in her music, anyway? Lily personally didn't see it).

She felt a light tap on her shoulder, and whirled, to find herself staring into the hazel eyes of James Potter. She shrugged his hand off of her shoulder. "What do you want, Potter?"

"Relax, Evans." His voice was slow, and slurred – was he drunk? No, he looked sober… was _she _drunk? Surely not… "Dance with me?"

Ten seconds later, James was leading her out into a group of people as the song ended, and another one started up. _Well, that clinches it, _thought Lily in bewilderment. _I **am** drunk._

Lily felt a little surprised to hear the salsa music (did wizards listen to salsa? She had no idea), but then she promptly forgot everything as James took one of her much smaller hands in his own, placing the other on her waist. Automatically, it seemed, she placed her free hand on his shoulder. Lily wasn't a very good dancer, but even she knew the basic form for dancing.

Then James pulled her hips up closer to his and they danced. He was leading.

Lily felt certain that all eyes were on her – but they weren't. In fact, nobody was paying attention to them at all. Janine had disappeared somewhere, Alyssa was dancing with Sirius, and Jen was with a boy who was probably a seventh-year and _definitely _not from their house. Marlene, to her astonishment, was dancing with Fabian Prewett. _I thought he was dating Janine,_ she marveled. _Did they break up? But they were dating this morning… and Janine would have told me if they'd broken up…_

James took his hand off of her waist, putting it under her chin and forcing her to look at him. "Look at me," he told her with a smile. "Right in my eyes." So she looked into them.

X-X-X-X-X

"Are you okay?" asked Janine quietly, still trying to peer into Snape's face anxiously. "Black doesn't pull his punches for _anybody _– believe me, I know."

"Are you referring to this afternoon's fight?" She winced. "Yes, I heard about that. It's going around school that it's the reason you and Prewett broke up."

"The fight isn't, but we did break up." Snape's eyebrows rose. "He said he was sick of my incessant flirting," she clarified. "And I told him if he didn't want a flirty girlfriend, he never should have asked me out to begin with."

"Ah."

"And as for how I know Black doesn't pull his punches, it's because we got in a fistfight in fourth year where I broke his nose and he broke my jaw."

"Oh."

She shrugged. "Madam Pomfrey drugged me, so the pain wasn't so bad. And you can't even tell" She leaned over his cauldron, wrinkling her nose. "When I asked that third-year where you were, I hardly expected to find you in the Potions classroom, making potions in your _spare time._"

"Call it an after school project. And don't lean over the cauldron like that."

"Why? What is it?"

"Draught of Living Death." Janine squeaked and yanked back. Snape's coal black eyes were amused. "I did tell you not to lean over the cauldron." She stuck her tongue out at him. "Aren't you supposed to be at your little victory party upstairs?"

"Technically speaking, yes. But I don't _really _want to see Fabian and Marlene acting all sweet around one another. I don't know where he got off thinking he could go with my best friend behind my back. First of all, I'm too practiced at it myself to not notice all the signs, and second of all, she spilled everything to me last night in an attack of the guilty conscience."

"You don't care much, do you?"

"Not particularly, no." She shrugged. "I was never serious about him. I'm surprised it took him two and a half months to notice."

Snape's eyes swept over her. "I can't help but noting that you'd probably make a very good Slytherin."

She shrugged. "I probably would."

X-X-X-X-X

"Why aren't you always this nice to me?" James whispered in her ear. Lily spent more time concentrating on her dancing, swaying her hips in time with his.

"Because you're a prat the rest of the time," she whispered back. Lily's nerves were fizzing pleasantly and her fingers and palms tingled where they touched James.

James frowned and pulled back from her, his hazel eyes widening. "Oh – you're drunk," he realized, disappointed.

She made a face at him. "I am not drunk. I'm having a pleasant dance with you. Or I was. And now you ruined it." She made an even more grotesque face. "Why'd you ruin it?"

James sighed, and stepped back from her and pulled out his wand, pointing it at her. "_Sobrius,_" he whispered softly.

Almost at once, Lily moaned and put a hand to her head. "Oh, _man. _I must have had a _lot _of butterbeers… what time is it?" She saw James staring at her and snapped, "What?"

"It's ten-thirty," he told her, very quietly. "And we've been dancing for the last half an hour."

"What, you and me?" Lily laughed bitterly. "As if that would ever…" Memories came rushing back to her. She made a face. "Bloody hell, we _have _been dancing for the last half an hour. I _must _have been drunk."

"You were enjoying it then!" pointed out James, wounded.

"I was drunk!" she snapped back. "And if it's ten-thirty, we're half an hour over. Party was supposed to end at ten." She pushed her way through the crowd of dancing people and yanked Sirius away from his current partner (a sweet fifth-year girl whom Lily had spoken to once or twice.) She smiled and waved as Lily dragged Sirius away.

"Hey!" he complained. "I had something good going there."

"Shut up, Black," she snapped peevishly. "And lift me onto the table." He raised his eyebrows. "My head hurts and I don't want to fall!" she added irritably.

Apparently knowing better than to make fun of her (she'd probably bite his head off), Sirius very easily lifted her onto a table. Lily stomped her foot several times until the people closest to her had turned. "All right! That's it!" she shouted. "Come on now, it's a school night! Off to bed! All of you!" Several people scowled at her; she glowered so vehemently back that they quailed and slunk off. "And every single one of you – all you Quidditch players – you're going to stay behind and clean up this mess!" She looked at Sirius, who was subtly trying to sneak a peek up her skirt. "Don't even _think _about it, Black." He made a face at her but nonetheless helped her down.

She brushed off her skirt and looked around. "Now. Where's Janine? She has to help, too…"

X-X-X-X-X

Janine glanced at her watch. "It's ten-thirty," she noted aloud, with some amusement in her voice. "I was supposed to be upstairs to help clean half an hour ago."

"Then I suppose you should go, shouldn't you?"

"You make it sound like you want me to leave."

"Maybe I _do _want you to leave."

"Maybe I don't _want _to leave." He stared at her, and she stared straight back. Finally, she hopped off the table she had perched on, dusting invisible dust off of her skirt. "But if you want me to leave…"

"I didn't say that."

"Yes, you did. You said-"

"I said 'maybe.'"

Janine scowled, placing her fists on her hips. "Tell me straight out! Do you want me to leave, or not?"

Snape smirked at her. "Frustrated, are you?"

"Urgh!" She plopped into a seat with an expression to rival that of an angry hippogriff. "You're despicable."

Snape was briefly amused. "So I've been told."

They sat like that in silence for several moments, until Janine stood up. "You're a prat, Snape," she told him, although her eyes were smirking. "I'll see you in Potions class."

"Of course." He watched her walk out. "Potions class. Right." He waited until two minutes after she was gone, and then began to pack up his ingredients. His potion would have to wait.

He had an appointment at the Whomping Willow.

X-X-X-X-X

"Where've you been?" asked Jen as Janine seemingly materialized at her side, bending to help pick up the empty butterbeer bottles. "Snogging Evan Rosier? Tut, tut. Traitor."

"Be quiet, you. Marlene and Fabian hit it off?"

"They spent a lot of time being shy around each other," said James, from somewhere near her elbow. "What do you see in Rosier, anyway?"

"Something that I don't see in you," replied Janine with a wry grin. She flicked her wand, and the streamers hanging from the ceiling disappeared. "And anyway, that wasn't where I was."

"Where were you, then?"

Janine's face was wiped blank of anything. "Wandering around the school aimlessly," she replied, bending low again. Over her back, James and Jen exchanged looks. Both knew a lie when they heard it. Janine was a good liar, but she wasn't making an attempt to hide, and they knew it.

"Oh. Okay, then," James said at last. "I asked Ev- Lily, to dance," he said slowly, watching her for a reaction.

"Shot you down again, did she?" She didn't look up.

"No, actually. She said yes. But she was drunk."

Janine straightened up, confused. "What are you talking about? We served _Butterbeer. _I know Lily doesn't have a very high tolerance for alcohol, but…"

"Sirius added a bit of Firewhisky to the bottles," cut in Jen. "He told Alyssa, who told me. I don't think Lily knows, though."

"Yet," added Janine under her breath.

X-X-X-X-X

Lily pulled on her nightgown, enjoying the feel of the white silky cloth against her skin. Marlene had disappeared off somewhere (presumably with Fabian Prewett), and Alyssa was the only other one in the room.

Lily glanced out the window, enjoying the night sky and the twinkling stars, when a shadow crossed her vision. Frowning, she pushed the window, leaning out and gasping as the cold air hit her skin. She frowned. Somebody was hurrying across the grounds.

No, that was silly – it was just Madam Pomfrey. Perhaps Hagrid, the groundskeeper, was sick, and she was visiting him? Yes, that must be it.

But then there was another person hurrying across the grounds – a slightly hunched someone, whose lank hair was falling into his face, rather as though he were trying to melt into the shadows, to hide from any watching eyes…

In fact, if she hadn't known better…

Lily's hand snapped up her cloak and hastily pulled it around her form. Alyssa, who was already in bed and reading, stared at her. "Where are you going?"

Lily didn't answer. Settling her fiery curls, she stormed irritably out the dormitory door. Hastily, Alyssa jumped out of bed and followed her.

When she burst into the common room, the entire Quidditch team looked up and stared at her. At another time, Lily would have been embarrassed by the way the boys were staring at her (she was in her nightgown, after all). As it was, a faint tinge rose in her cheeks at the way James's eyes traveled up her form and then down again.

"Lily! What are you doing?" asked Jen, her eyes wide.

"Someone's out on the grounds," she said in response. "I'm going to go drag them in. It's bad enough there are students creeping all over the halls at this time of night-" here, she glowered at the two Marauders in the room and Janine, "-but I can't allow a student out on the _grounds._ I'll be back." She stormed out the portrait hole.

There was a very tense silence in the room. "Takes her job seriously, doesn't she?" asked Sirius with a grin, but James cut him off, saying abruptly, "Did she say she was going out on the grounds?"

Janine's eyes met James's across the room. Then they flicked to Sirius, who had a look of dawning comprehension on his face, and then to Jen, whose face was paler than ordinary. Then they looked to Alyssa, who was looking faintly puzzled. "Full moon," hissed Jen softly. And James realized.

_They know._

"So what?" asked Alyssa in confusion. "There aren't any werewolves at Hogwarts…"

_But she doesn't._

But James didn't have much time to think. He had to catch up with Lily before she encountered Remus in his werewolf form. He started to run, until he heard Sirius demand, "Did she say she _saw _somebody out there?" Somebody must have nodded, because he heard Sirius swear from behind him. "Motherfu- Snape. Shit. Snape."

James whirled. "What d'you mean, _Snape?"_

Sirius looked down. "We were going to get him back. Teach him a lesson. I thought-"

James didn't let him finish. He raced out the portrait hole, ignoring the Fat Lady, who shrieked after him, "Dear, you're not a prefect! Come back inside!"

X-X-X-X-X

Important A/N: Right, so there's the next chapter. I hope you enjoy it, but I have something important to say. This is going to be the last update for a while. I'm having some family difficulties, and I'm finding it a bit difficult to write at the moment. I already had this chapter finished, so it's up. But don't expect many more for a little while – I'll try to get back on track as soon as I can.

As always, reviews are immensely appreciated. Maybe, the more reviews I get, the sooner I'll update… Peaches


	7. The Chase is On

Disclaimer: Characters and settings are property of J.K. Rowling. What you don't recognize is mine. And I _wish _I owned the Marauders (specifically Sirius and Remus) but most unfortunately, I do not. L

A/N: I would really appreciate it if SOMEBODY reads the Author's note at the end – and yes, I realize how long it is, but it's to clear up a few things, and it took me forever to write out, so I _really _appreciate if somebody reads it! Thanks!

X-X-X-X-X

Snape gripped his wand, looking around with a frown. He had been expecting an ambush from Black by now, but after his conversation with Janine, he assumed the other boy was too busy cleaning up the common room. Gryffindor was, after all, notorious for their rambunctious parties, and no rambunctious party came without a huge mess following. They'd be up all night.

And so, it was only after Janine had left did he decide to go out to the Whomping Willow for himself. He'd hidden there, and then seen Madam Pomfrey pull herself up through a hole at the base of the Whomping Willow, which was unusually still. Breathing hard, she'd jogged off. Frowning – _Black mentioned 'teaching me a lesson,' does this have something to do with it? _– Snape quickly slid down the hole and heard the tree begin to move behind him.

X-X-X-X-X

Lily frowned, seeing the figure in the distance – _Was he by the Whomping Willow? _Lily wondered frantically. She didn't even register that the tree _wasn't moving._ _Is he trying to get himself **killed**?_

"Evans!" Lily paused, startled, and then whirled just as she had been about to step out the double doors. James Potter seized her arm and dragged her backwards. "Are you nuts?" he hissed.

"No, I'm not! Potter, what are you doing out here? You're not supposed to be out after curfew-"

"You are!" he protested angrily. She fixed him with a deathly glare.

"_I _am a prefect, and have license to patrol the hallways or stop any troublemaking I happen to see. You, on the other hand, are _not _a prefect, and thus do not have that privilege."

"You don't understand!" James snapped. "There's something big going on here, and Snape is-" He froze. The tree had begun to move again, but Snape was nowhere in sight. Which could only mean…

He was in deep shit.

On one hand, he hated going after the greasy git, but nobody deserved to die. And Remus wouldn't want that on his conscience. And Sirius had been an arse, but Remus would be the one to pay for it. Which left him with only one choice…

Besides, saving Snape's life might score him some points with Lily.

"And Snape is what?" she asked suspiciously. _If her friends know about Remus, it stands to reason that she does. She probably forgot to check the lunar chart, though… I need to get her out of the way, for the time being._

"Evans, I have no doubt you're going to hate me for this," he told her in a hurried whisper. "And I just want you to know it's for your own good."

"What is-?"

James dragged her to a closet underneath the staircase, and pushed her in.

"James Potter!" she screeched. "What do you think you're-"

As an afterthought, James kissed her swiftly – she sputtered in rage when he pulled back – and then he slammed the door shut, placing an Anti-Alohomora Charm on the door. "Sorry, Lily," he whispered. Then he hurried out the door.

X-X-X-X-X

It took Lily the work of a few moments to nullify James's charm (he'd never been as good as she had at them). She pushed the door open, swearing – _I am going to **kill **Potter when I see him next _– and then she hurried out the double doors. She couldn't see James or Snape, and she would have heard them if they had returned to the castle. Which left only one place they could have – realistically, anyway – gone.

The Forbidden Forest.

Swearing again, Lily broke into a dead run for the trees. She had almost reached it when the double doors opened again, and out came Sirius, Peter, Janine, Jen, and Alyssa.

Sirius spotted Lily just as she disappeared at the edge of the forest, and swore. He turned roughly to Janine. "Go after Evans and drag her inside," he ordered. "You know why." She nodded.

"Where are you going?" she called as he set off at a run.

"After James!"

Janine turned to Alyssa, Jen, and Peter. "Go get Professor Dumbledore and McGonagall." Panic made her feel a bit unsettled. "Scratch that. Peter, go get the first teacher you can find. Jen, Alyssa – you guys get Professor Dumbledore or McGonagall."

"Forget it," snapped Alyssa. "I'm coming with you – I want to know what's going on."

Briefly, Janine thought of arguing with her – but then decided there was no time. "Fine. Jen, go get a teacher. Go!" she shouted, and Jen and Peter took off at a run. Janine's eyes locked onto Alyssa's. "Let's go get Lily."

Just as the two girls hurried towards the place where Lily had disappeared, the Whomping Willow froze.

X-X-X-X-X

"_Lumos,_" hissed Lily, looking around. The Forbidden Forest was eerily silent, save the occasional owl hooting overhead. _Where did Potter go?_

_And where's Snape?_

Because now, Lily was certain – she had see Snape out on the grounds. She had figured it out when she'd first seen him at the Whomping Willow, and James had confirmed it for her.

Just thinking of the fact that he had kissed her brought a crazy blush to her cheeks (although she was still furious), but she forced it down, raising her wand higher to shed light on the path ahead.

She couldn't see anybody, or even, for that matter, footprints. Where were they?

X-X-X-X-X

Sirius ran after James down the long hallway. James ran after Snape down the long hallway.

Although James was faster, he was making an effort not to make any noise – if he was too loud, Snape would know he was there, and probably be prepared to hex him when he flew into view – and thus it didn't take long for Sirius to catch up to him.

Both boys hastened after Snape.

By the time they found him, he had almost reached the trap door, was cautiously stretching out his hand. The time for silence was over. "Snape!" bellowed James.

The other boy whirled, pulling out his wand and pointing it at both of them, although his eyes were widening a bit as he heard sounds of a scuffle above him. "What is…?" A determined look crossed his face.

James and Sirius lunged simultaneously, but it was too late – Snape shoved the door open, and out surged Moony, the werewolf. James managed to yank him out of the wolf's path just in time.

Not that it did much good. The wolf made a scarily fast turn and jumped at Snape.

James lunged again and shoved Snape up against the wall so hard that he knocked the other boy out, a faint trickle of blood oozing from his head. Moony had jumped at open space, but was quickly on his feet again, snarling at the scent of the three human boys.

Swiftly, Sirius changed and lunged for Moony. Within moments, a full-blown canine fight was on its way. James was calculating quickly what to do – he would have to change soon, too, but Snape was moaning, meaning he was coming around…

"Padfoot!" he shouted. "Get him out of here!"

After a few seconds' more snarling and biting fighting, Moony raced down the hall, Padfoot hot on his heels.

As soon as they disappeared from sight, James felt a fist connect with his cheek, hard. He staggered backwards, gasping, and saw a snarling Snape leering down at him, looking triumphant. "So." He laughed bitterly. "_That's _Lupin's secret. He's always saying his mother's 'sick' – honestly, if the woman was as sick as he said, she'd be dead by now! He's a _werewolf!" _Then he stopped laughing and his eyes narrowed. "Black was going to send me out to get killed! And I'll just _bet _you and Pettigrew were in on this! I'm making _sure _that you three and Lupin are expelled for this!"

He shrugged his shoulders furiously and started off down the hall, but James yelled after him, "Leave Remus and Peter out of this, you stupid bastard! They had nothing to do with it!" He was long past caring about himself or Sirius, at this point.

Snape whirled on him, his eyes furious. "You expect me to believe that?" he snapped. "I'm not stupid, Potter."

"You do an amazing impression of it!" James shouted. "You stupid wanker – I should have let you get bitten, see what you think of it then-"

"Why, then?" spat Snape. "Why bother saving me?"

James briefly considered snarling that it was only so that Lily would like him, but that was too coldhearted for his taste. He couldn't say that was sparing Remus or Sirius from having to go to Azkaban – that would only give Snape ideas. Instead, he leveled his hazel eyes coldly at Snape and said emotionlessly, "I would have done it for anybody."

Ignoring Snape's glowers, he pushed the other boy aside and ran out to help Sirius deal with Moony.

Moments later, Snape heard a howl that sent shivers up his spine, and then he made a break for the castle, intending to find Dumbledore.

X-X-X-X-X

"Lily!" Lily whirled, shocked, just as Alyssa and Janine ran into view, panting.

"What are you doing out here?" she demanded. "I'm a prefect, I have license to be out here, and Snape and Potter are-"

"We know," panted Janine. She paused, and amended, "_I _know. Did you forget to check the lunar charts, Lil? _Full moon,_" she hissed.

"Come on, guys, that's not even funny," said Alyssa nervously. "There aren't any werewolves at Hogwarts. Right?" She looked from Lily to Janine. "Right?" She scowled, suddenly. "There's something you guys aren't telling me, and…"

A howl split the air, and it sounded nearby.

"RUN!" yelled Janine at the top of her lungs, and she began sprinting around trees. Lily had no idea how to get out of the forest, but anywhere was safer than where they were at the moment. She took off, Alyssa hot on her heels.

X-X-X-X-X

"Where'd Moony go?" demanded James, encountered a dog-form Sirius. Sirius quickly changed – he was now crouched on the ground, in human form.

"No idea. I lost him. I've been trying to track his scent, but he must be in some sort of frenzy. He's all over the place, and so is his scent. I'd hoped Garnet had gotten Evans back to the castle, but apparently not…"

James felt the blood drain from his face. "Evans is out here? Garnet, too?"

Sirius nodded. "Comforts, too. They went after Evans, who went into the Forbidden Forest. _Their _scents are all over the place, too – fear, and sweat, and perfume… There's these flowery scents all over, so I think that's them."

At any other time, James would have found this an extremely odd comment, but now wasn't the time to be thinking such things. "But I locked her in the closet!" Sirius stared at him, and James flushed a little. "I didn't want her to come with me to get Remus, and I didn't want to tell her that. So I shoved her in the closet and locked the door. I put an Anti-Alohomora Charm on the door, too…"

"Well, we all know that your charms work is shoddy, especially when you're rushed," replied Sirius. "We'd better change – it'll be easier for me to find Evans, Comforts and Garnet that way. We may have to beat Moony off of them with a stick."

_Or antlers, _thought James as he closed his eyes and concentrated on becoming Prongs.

X-X-X-X-X

Lily ran through the woods, not knowing where she was going, only following the sheet of brown hair attached to the head of her best friend. Sounds were pressing in on them from all around and Lily, not accustomed to running so much, was becoming short of breath – every time she breathed, her lungs strained-

And then Janine tripped on a root and went flying. Lily was going too fast to stop – she tried slowing down – Alyssa smacked into her – and both girls flew into the dirt besides Janine, was frozen as she sat up on her elbows and twisted. Her breath came out shallowly, in short gasps.

"Come on," panted Lily. "We have to keep-"

"Lil!" Janine hissed, her eyes wide with fear. "_Don't make any noise and don't move."_

Lily slowly turned, and her eyes widened with fright as well. Alyssa made whimpering noises beside her.

From the darkness came forth two yellow eyes, set deep into a wolf's skull. But Lily was aware of only one thing – the long, sharp fangs that glinted in the darkness as the wolf bared its teeth in a silent growl.

Janine grabbed her arm, half-cutting off the bloody supply, but Lily didn't care – _If I make it through this night, I'll never tease Petunia again, _she promised. _I'll never pull out my wand and threaten her just to see her scream and run to Mum and Dad. I swear…_

The wolf snapped its jaws menacingly, advancing with a low growl. Lily saw the muscles in its legs tense – it was going to jump – they were going to die-

And suddenly, a big, bear-like black form leapt out of the bushes and pounced on the wolf with a snarl. Watching them fight, Lily realized it was a dog, and she paused, seeing a reddish-brown stag canter into the clearing to kick the wolf in its sides…

Janine hauled Lily to her feet, and Lily complied, helping Alyssa up as well, although she felt a sharp pain in my ankle. "I think I… twisted my ankle…" She looked up. Alyssa was holding her shoulder; Janine had a trickle of blood running down the side of her face from her forehead.

"Quick!" Janine hissed. "Let's get out of here while we can." She and Alyssa quickly helped support Lily, half-carrying her out of the clearing as they fled as quickly as they could.

Lily glanced back only once, to see the stag and the dog engaging the wolf in a feral fight. Its howls followed them into the night.

X-X-X-X-X

Halfway to the castle, Alyssa stopped them. Janine rounded on her, annoyed – pain no doubt making her irritable. "Alyssa, come on," she snapped. "Just because we're out of the forest doesn't make us safe."

Alyssa looked at her miserably, and Janine's look softened, although Lily spoke for her. "She's sorry," Lily said quietly. "That must have been terrifying for you – we know how scared you are of-"

"I was so _stupid!" _she burst out. "How could I have not realized?" Lily and Janine exchanged looks. "Don't glance at each other like that," cried Alyssa desperately. "I know, okay? I figured it out! He's a werewolf, isn't he? I always knew he was lying to me… I just didn't know about what…" Her voice quieted. "I've seen Mrs. Lupin," she said at last. "She looks perfectly healthy. If she were as sick as Remus always said she was, she wouldn't look that good. But I trusted him, and didn't ask about it. I should have known!" She looked up at them. "You guys knew, didn't you?"

Janine nodded heavily, but it was Lily who explained. "We figured it out third year," she said quietly. "We always figured – well, it's not our secret to tell. And you guys weren't going out then. But when you started going out… well…" She sighed. "We always assumed that if anybody had the right to tell you, it was Lupin, and we hoped you wouldn't judge him for it."

"I don't know," said Alyssa softly. "I don't know anymore. I don't think I'll be comfortable around him after this. Not just because he's a werewolf – because he kept it from me, knowing I was scared of them. Any other lie, I could have accepted. Well," she added with a ghost of a smile, "maybe not _any _other lie. But…"

"Lys, I'm sorry," Janine said, hugging her awkwardly with one arm. "But we'd better get inside. We're not safe until we get past those doors." She looked up, and swore. "Bloody, bloody hell."

"What?" Lily and Alyssa glanced up, and Lily cursed quietly, cringing. Dumbledore, followed by a tight-lipped McGonagall, was striding towards them. And they both looked furious.

X-X-X-X-X

A/N: I'm really sorry it took so long for the update! And yes, this chapter is a little short. Thanks for sticking by me, all of you guys – I really appreciate it. My life's all cool now; I can get back to writing. As always, reviews are loved to death (I love you consistent reviewers, you guys are my new best friends!!!), and part of the reason this chapter is so short is so that I can answer a few questions and address a few concerns that have come up in your reviews. Here we go!

ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS: (Warning: This contains MINOR OotP spoilers, plus it's really long, but I hope it answers some questions for you all!)

1. Yes, Hagrid will appear as soon as I can make it – this whole Whomping Willow-Remus-Snape thing has to be completely resolved, first, though, and that might take a couple of chapters. But never fear, Hagrid will show up! Truthfully, I'd forgotten all about him, but… hey, whatever. I'll put him in here as soon as I can. Thanks to bookbug for pointing this out to me!

2. Okay, as to having James make Lily fall for him – Lily might become attracted to him in later chapters, but, as mentioned in the fifth book, James and Lily only start dating in seventh year, so you'll have to wait until AT LEAST the summer before seventh year for them to really start getting together. But I'll have a few LJ interactions here and there. Don't worry, it's coming - J

3. As to when the story takes place, they're sixth-years, it's in November so far, and the year is 1972. You do the math.

4. Okay, why James is not a Seeker anymore – yes, I know I'd written him that way originally, and this is why I changed it: JKR said in an interview that James was a Chaser. And while I've known that for a good long time, the reason I originally wrote him as a Seeker was because of the chapter titled "Snape's Worst Memory" in Book 5. You'll notice that James is playing with a Snitch there, and in the first movie, it says Seeker. Okay, well, I decided that I liked James better as a Chaser, one of the main reasons being that it's lots of fun to write him from a Chaser's perspective (and I can always write a story with Harry or Draco Malfoy, who can be my Seeker). The other reason is that I've always pictured Harry as looking a lot like James but being, personality-wise, a lot more like Lily. But I wanted _some _superficial differences (aside from eyes and the nose, and the whole not-having-a-scar thing) between Harry and James. So as of now, the reason James plays with a Snitch in that chapter is 'cause he's practicing – you need good reflexes, no matter WHAT position you play – and he's trying to show off by doing something that's not even in his job requirement. And the movie was a mistake. Okay?

5. The reason James was present when Sirius told Snape how to get into the Whomping Willow – I talked a bit about this last chapter (or was it the one before? I can't remember) – but I'll just quickly reiterate – James is a bit of an arrogant prat, if you know what I mean, so he doesn't think of the consequences. And, well, let's face it – he _really _doesn't like Snape. But he saves his life despite all that (although not exactly for the right reasons) and I see that as he somewhat redeems himself, although it takes the idea of Lily being in danger for him to realize exactly what _could _happen to Snape. So James, so far, hasn't exactly WON any points with Lily, but because he saved Snape's life, he hasn't LOST any either. Besides, James kind of stood there and laughed – he just didn't stop Sirius, which, yes, he should have done, but he wasn't the one to actually tell. So there.

6. Will there be a Janine/Snape romance? I honestly have no idea. I'm kinda working on that. You can kind of _tell _who I _really _want Janine to end up with (_I_ think it's obvious, anyway) and she will end up with him (most likely) but I haven't officially decided. Maybe, some time in the VERY, VERY, VERY FAR FUTURE, she and Snape will have their happy ending (or they'll have their ending, but it's not likely to be your fairy tale standard, and you'll find out why later. Here's the secret to Janine's future failed relationships – it has _a lot _to do with Lily).

7. Lily, as you've noticed, hasn't found out about the Marauders being the Animagi. And I always pictured it as she doesn't really find out until James tells her when they're going out, but she's a smart girl; she can probably piece PARTS of the puzzle together. And Lily definitely isn't going to fall head over heels for James after his incident – like I said, that's a ways in coming. I know the story moves slowly, but I'm trying to base it on the clues JKR provided, and she said (well, it was actually Remus and Sirius in Umbridge's office, but whatever) that they didn't get together until their seventh year, so I have to wait for them to officially become a couple until then. But no worries – there'll be LOTS of LJ interactions, like I said before. Just be patient (yes, I _do _know how hard that is).

8. Yeah, I guess Sirius kind of _is _a pervert. Sorry – I hadn't meant to make him _that _bad. No worries, I adore him too, and I cried (okay, not really, but I was horribly upset) when JKR killed him off. And he'll get better (more thoughtful, nicer) as the story goes along. He's still in the process of maturing (although a Marauder never _really _matures – well, except for maybe Remus), and so he's young and thoughtless, and a bit of a perv, yes. I can't help but base him off some of _my _guy-friends… whom, I assure you, are at _least _ten times worse. But he'll get better, I promise.

9. Okay. List of the characters – that I'll be glad to do. So, here goes:

James, Sirius, Remus, and Peter – come on, these are the Marauders. I don't need to talk about them.

Lily Evans – okay, nothing needs to be said here.

Severus Snape – again, 'nuff said.

Lily's Friends: Janine Garnet, Jennifer King, Alyssa Comforts, and Marlene McKinnon

Janine: The flirty, outgoing girl. She's been friends with James forever (due to their families) and is a pureblood. Has this weird sort of friendship with Snape which may/may not develop (See #6). Also gets along fairly well with a lot of the Slytherin boys (but definitely NOT the Slytherin girls). She's a Chaser, like James. She also has a major problem with Sirius that involves family animosity (see the fourth chapter, where Janine and Remus have a rather pointless but funny (or so I've been told) conversation). Notorious for cheating on her many boyfriends (tut, tut).

Jen – she's the Keeper of the Quidditch team. Also a pureblood, but she's less flirty and outgoing, but more… tomboy-ish, in a way. She has a major crush on Remus Lupin, and gets on fairly well with all of the Marauders (yes, all). Long time friend of Janine and Alyssa. I was going to make her a really good artist, but it's actually not that important at this point in the story. She's kind of a Dean Thomas figure – you know, does the decorations for the parties, that kind of thing.

Alyssa – the last pureblood of the group. She's a really nice person, and she _was, _up until now, going out with Remus Lupin. Most unfortunately, she's also deathly afraid of werewolves, which turns out to be a problem… Commentator for the Quidditch matches and a starter of most of the rumors flying around the school (she loves gossip).

Marlene – last of Lily's friends, a half-blood. Aspires to become an Auror, is a very serious student (not quite as anal as Lily, though). She wanted to be prefect (even though she knew Lily would get it). Recently started dating Fabian Prewett (just after Janine broke up with him). Is an all-around nice girl; generally gets along with everybody. The confidante of the group, really – everyone confides in here, to be assured that their secrets won't be spread around. She has an older brother (who is never mentioned, even by name) who is already an Auror; she wants to be like him.

Damien and Perseus Garnet – Damien is a seventh-year Gryffindor, Janine's older brother; Perry is a first-year Gryffindor (he's going to become EXTREMELY important in the future, so just remember him for later), Janine's younger brother. She has two more brothers – Lyon (who's 21) and Jeffrey (who's 18).

Audrey Caphis – Okay, she's not that important. I just included her because she's James's current flavor of the week. She's a sixth-year Ravenclaw, and that's kind of all that's important about her.

If I missed anyone, I'm really sorry – that's the best I can do for right now – I'll come back to it. Just point out some random character that I need to explain. And I should add this, by the way – there'll be a few more OC's dotting the scene here and there, but it's HIGHLY UNLIKELY that they'll be as important as the ones mentioned here. I hope this helps.

10. I think this is _really _important, and I was going to wait to add this, but I'm going to do it now – I'll reiterate it later, when the issue comes up – this story is just a _teensy _bit AU for what's coming in the future. For example, Jen, Alyssa, and Janine will most likely be involved in the Order. When Moody shows Harry the picture of the old order in the Fifth book, these characters aren't there… well, too bad, because they are now.

11. I just have to ask. Did anybody actually READ this? I realize how extremely long this is, but I just wanted to clear up a few things, and I _really _hope someone reads this, because it took me like forty minutes to type out. So please-please-please-please read it, okay? (Or skim it, at least – although it won't hurt you if you don't).

12. REVIEW, PLEASE!

Love you all! Peaches


	8. Dark Aftermath

Disclaimer: Characters and settings are property of J.K. Rowling. What you don't recognize is mine. And I _wish _I owned the Marauders (specifically Sirius and Remus) but most unfortunately, I do not. L

X-X-X-X-X

"There they are!" Janine jumped up, but McGonagall forced her back down into her seat. Lily couldn't look up from the floor. She was so ashamed – and she hadn't been able to look up since arriving in the Great Hall half an hour before. McGonagall had forced them all into chairs, next to an exceptionally angry Snape and cold Professor Violet – their DADA teacher and the head of Slytherin House.

Dumbledore closed the doors behind him, ignoring the two boys before him. Now Lily looked up. Sirius and James were both very white – James had scratches up and down his arms, and Sirius's leg had a deep gash in it and was dripping blood onto the floor. McGonagall stood, her face pale with fury. "Fifty points from Gryffindor!" she snapped. "_Each._ I've never caught so many-"

"Minerva." Dumbledore's voice was sharp. "There will be no punishment tonight. Not until I fully understand what has taken place tonight. You five," he said, indicated Lily, Janine, Alyssa, James, and Sirius, "are very lucky that Mr. Snape caught up with myself, Professor McGonagall, Professor Violet, Miss King, and Mr. Pettigrew. I have sent Miss King and Mr. Pettigrew to their dormitories with assurances of your safety. The six of you will go to the Hospital Wing and _remain _there until I come for you. And if I hear of any fights among you students," he added coldly, "I will very seriously consider expulsion. I trust you do not need myself, Professor McGonagall, or Professor Violet to show you the way. Good night."

But it wasn't a good night. Lily's eyes filled angrily with tears. She had only been doing her job as a prefect! It wasn't fair…

She looked up and glowered at Sirius and James once the teachers were gone. "This is all your _fault,_" she hissed, and leapt to her feet, ignoring the pain in her ankle. She limped ahead of all of them down the Hospital Wing.

If she had stayed to watch, she would have seen Alyssa follow her silently and Janine throw both James and Sirius a look of deep loathing before following them haughtily, ignoring the gash on the side of her head.

X-X-X-X-X

"We won't let you get in trouble, Lils," Janine was saying as James and Sirius entered the Hospital Wing. Out of the corner of his eye, James could see Snape lying down in a cot, far away. His back was to them.

James winced when he entered – Janine had a bandage wrapped around her head – presumably to keep Pomfrey's healing potions from dripping down her face – Alyssa's arm was in a sling, and Lily's ankle was taped up. "Just to hold them until morning," assured Madam Pomfrey. She gave James and Sirius vexed looks. "Come and sit down!" she barked.

Both boys hastily parked on a pair of cots as Pomfrey worked her magic. "Thanks, Poppy," said Sirius in a noticeably subdued voice.

She struggled with herself for a moment, and then broke out in a small smile. "You're welcome," was her soft reply. She walked away.

They sat in silence for a few moments, then Janine spoke. "While waiting for you, Snape told us – well, me, really – what happened." Her voice was cold as ice. "I suppose it never occurred to any of you what might happen if he'd died. If _we'd_ died. I don't think I need to tell you."

James looked at his feet, but Sirius made a noise of protest. "Leave him out of it. It wasn't his fault. It was… it was mine. I told."

Janine's face was full of disgust. "You're pathetic, Black. And you don't deserve to be a Gryffindor." Sirius's head snapped up and he opened his mouth to object; she cut him off. "For one thing," she continued in freezing tones, "it was a pretty damned cowardly thing to do. It was a _Slytherin _thing to do. We're supposed to be better than that."

"Cut it out, Janine!" James snapped. "It's not like you've never made a stupid mistake in your life!"

"Yeah," snapped Janine back. "But _my _mistakes don't get people nearly killed, do they?"

"Janine, stop," ordered Lily, and her friend subsided into a dark scowl. Lily glared at the boys – particularly Sirius, but then looked back at her friend. "It's not worth your time talking to them. They'll never understand." She lay down in her bed, and in moments, was asleep.

Neither Sirius nor James moved from the sitting position on the cot all night.

X-X-X-X-X

Dumbledore surveyed the six students assembled in his office without words. Adjectives came to mind immediately as he looked at them all – Janine looked defiant, Lily ashamed, Alyssa despondent, and James mutinous and Sirius was… stunned, it seemed. Unable to look at even his best friend, as if so horrified at what he'd done. Snape alone looked impassive.

Dumbledore had dealt with each of these students before – in groups and alone. He knew them all quite well, and was able to read most of their expressions like an open book. His talents at Legilimency helped. With his knowledge of what they were like and his utilization of Legilimency, he'd be able to get the truth out of them.

And if he sensed any lying, he'd use truth potions if necessary.

Dumbledore sighed, and turned to Janine. Judging from her expression, it'd be easiest to get the story from her first – although he had no doubt in his mind that the story would be quite a biased one, coming from her. "Let's begin with you, Miss Garnet. What do you have to say for yourself – and in your defense for being out on the grounds after curfew?"

She opened her mouth, and then closed it with a decisive snap. "There isn't much to say," she said at last. "And all I'm going to say is that I have no idea what _really _happened last night. Lily told me she'd seen someone out on the grounds, and she was going to get them, because that's what prefects do. I had no idea it was Severus, and I knew it was a full moon. Marlene, Jen, Lily, and I figured out what Remus was in our third year. I went to try and stop her, to warn her it wasn't safe." She set her jaw, and fidgeted for a moment. Dumbledore said nothing, knowing the girl had more.

At last, she burst out, "You can't get mad at Lily! It's not fair! Fine, maybe the rest of us were out of line – but she was doing her job, and-"

Dumbledore held up a firm hand, and Janine bit her lip, silenced. "I do not have any intention of punishing Miss Evans. Nor do I plan to punish you, although I will tell you that it would have been wiser for you to go to a teacher. I will not punish-"

"There was no time to go to a teacher," interrupted Janine. Although Dumbledore showed no surprise, he had rarely been interrupted by a student before. But she wasn't the first. "And you can't punish Remus, either. Because that isn't fair either. It's not his fault that his friend is a stupid, arrogant, selfish little berk who didn't think of the consequences of his actions." Sirius hung his head while James glowered at her – as if Sirius didn't feel bad enough as it was.

Dumbledore was briefly amused, although he didn't show _that, _either. _Of course – her story, as always, is biased._

He sensed the truth from her. "Thank you, Miss Garnet. And you look very tired. I suggest you lie down."

She shook her head adamantly. "I'm waiting for Alyssa. She needs me to be there for her right now." She looked at her friend, and Dumbledore nodded gravely.

"Admirable," he told her softly. "It's nice to see such bonds of friendship." He was looking at James and Sirius when he said this. "Miss Comforts, would you like to tell me anything?"

"There's nothing to tell," said Alyssa dully. "Remus was a werewolf and he didn't tell me. I didn't even know until the end of last night's ordeal. And I went after Janine because I didn't want her to go into the Forest alone and I was curious. It wouldn't do Lily a bit of good if they _both _got lost while being alone."

Dumbledore gazed at her gently. "I am sorry that you had to find out this way. Perhaps you'd best lie down?"

Alyssa sighed. "I think I will." Janine stood up to go with her, but she held up a hand. "I think I'm going to go have a good cry in the bathroom," she admitted without a trace of embarrassment. "And I think I'd like to be alone for a while, thanks."

Janine looked worried, but Lily said, quite kindly, "Use the prefect's bathroom. Nobody should bother you there; password's 'chocolate pudding.'" Alyssa nodded her thanks and left. Lily glowered at Sirius and James. "And if either of you so much as thinks as using the bathroom for your own means, I'll hex you into the next century." Neither of them looked at her.

Janine suddenly leapt to her feet, knocking over the back of her chair. "Miss Garnet?" asked Dumbledore quietly.

"I've got to go," she announced.

"But Alyssa said-" began Lily, but Janine cut her off.

"I'm going to the Hospital Wing!" she blurted, and rushed from the room, looking horrifically upset. Dumbledore watched her go. Lily tensed her arms, wanting very much to run after at least one of her friends – or at least go and see Jen and Marlene, but Dumbledore shook his head gently.

"I need you to remain for a moment, Miss Evans." Lily slumped in her chair. Dumbledore's eyes were kind, but firm. "All I need is your affirmation that you had nothing to do with this… prank." Snape's eyes snapped with fury at the word, but he wisely kept his mouth shut.

Lily lifted her chin, looking both fierce and proud at the same moment, as though she could say so without a guilty conscience. "I had nothing to do with it," she said firmly. Professor Dumbledore inclined his head.

"You may go, then." Lily got out of her chair and swept away without looking back.

X-X-X-X-X

Janine, however, was not in the Hospital Wing. Nor was she in the prefects' bathroom (although Alyssa was; Lily could hear a quiet sniffling). Lily didn't find her in the library, the common room, the dormitory (she quietly said hello to Jen and Marlene before promising to see them later), the astronomy tower, the Quidditch field, or the locker room.

"I've checked all her usual haunts," finished Lily at last, with a sigh. "Maybe she just wants to be left alone…"

Giving up, Lily trooped up to the dormitory. Marlene and Jen weren't in the common room as she passed, but she saw James and Peter in a corner, heads bent over something, whispering. They watched her go up the stairs silently. Lily shivered – they were both sending her calculating looks, with unnerved her.

"There you are!" Lily opened the door and stared at Janine, who gave her a tired smile. "I know, I was a bit of a prat in Dumbledore's office – emotional stress. Don't let it bother you."

Lily nodded, although her look was skeptical and she remained unconvinced. "Potter and Black are still up there, last I checked," she informed her dormmates. She hesitated, and then added, "So is Snape."

"How's Alyssa?" asked Marlene in a small voice. "Is she angry at us for not telling her?"

"Alyssa's an easy-going girl, you know that," said Lily with a small smile. "She's not angry – at least, not at us. At Lupin… that remains to be seen."

"Janine told us everything that happened," piped up Jen. Her hazel eyes sparkled with fury. "Damn Black. Remus is going to feel frightfully alone when he gets out of the Hospital Wing, with nobody but Pettigrew as a _true _friend. We all know Potter's going to side with Black – he _always _does. Remus is going to be really alone… the poor guy."

"Hey! He has me," said Janine, looking injured.

"True, but you're not his girlfriend, nor are you one of the boys. At least, I hope not. Is there something you want to share with-" _Smack._ Jen spat out feathers, scowling. "If you're going to hit people with pillows, at least use your own."

Janine shrugged, and threw the pillow back on Marlene's bed. "You deserved it. Sorry about your pillow, Marly," she added in their other friend's direction. Marlene shrugged.

"No big deal," replied Marlene, or she started to, in any case, until a knock came on the door. The four girls looked up.

X-X-X-X-X

_Earlier On_

"Thank you, Sirius." Dumbledore's voice did not hold the tone of someone who was thanking someone else. His tone was disappointed, angry, and cold all at once. Sirius hung his head, feeling miserable. He'd gotten into the most trouble – the only one in _real _trouble. He knew what he'd done was stupid, and that was all there was to it. "You will go to the Hospital Wing and inform Mr. Lupin of last night's events and the part you played in them. You will write an apology to Miss Evans, Miss Garnet, and Miss Comforts. In addition, you will write a letter of apology to Mr. Snape and his family. You will be suspended for one week, and when you come back, you will serve one month of detention. You may go."

Miserably, Sirius stood and prepared to leave, but Snape burst out, "That's it? That's all? One week of suspension? He tried to kill me, Professor! And Potter, he did too-"

"Mr. Potter," said Dumbledore slowly, as Sirius turned back, "is another matter entirely. He did not play any part in last night's events, other than to save you life. Which, I might remind you, he did not have to do, and although I will not require you to thank him, you should. Nevertheless, Mr. Snape, you have broken school rules and no matter how provoked you were, you will be punished. As such, I will require two weeks of detention. I will write to yours and Mr. Black's parents. But that will be all."

"But that's not-"

"I should remind you, Mr. Snape," said Dumbledore gently, "that Mr. Potter saved your life. Sirius, you may go," he said once again. Sirius nodded and shuffled miserably out.

"Black, Lupin, and Potter should be expelled!" Snape shouted. "That's attempted murder! I've read our laws, Professor – attempted murder can get you a thirty-year sentence in Azkaban!"

Dumbledore surveyed him serenely. "I have said it before, and I will say it again. Mr. Potter had no play in last night's events. And I do not believe that it was the intention of Mr. Black to murder you, Severus," said Dumbledore calmly. "He does not have it in his heart for such a coldhearted act. He is being punished, however.

"And in light of the fact that they deliberately lured you outside, I will not deduct points or assign more than the detentions already specified." Snape's mouth opened furiously. "Punishment for being out after curfew, and _especially _out on the grounds," Dumbledore clarified. Seeing Snape turn an interesting shade of red, he rose on eyebrow and asked, "Is that a problem?"

Snape sank down in his chair in a sullen silence.

Dumbledore stood and looked at a portrait of a previous Headmaster, who waved merrily at him. Snape didn't even look up – he just stared sulkily at his shoes. "Severus, Sirius is a good boy, and he will grow up to be a good man. He has made errors in his judgment. That is acceptable. Many your age would. You cannot hold it against him. And as for James… you should remember that James _did _save your life."

"Whatever." Snape knew he sounded like a six-year-old, and he didn't care. Dumbledore sat down again, looking at him keenly.

"I must impress upon you the importance of this – you may _not, _under any circumstance, reveal Mr. Lupin as a werewolf. Failure to adhere to this rule will result in immediate expulsion. I hope I'm making myself clear."

Snape shot up in his seat. "What?" he squawked. "That's unfair! Black nearly _kills _me, and he gets barely anything, but I tell some stupid secret, and I get-"

"It is not 'some stupid secret,'" interrupted Dumbledore severely. "Letting it get out could potentially ruin Mr. Lupin's life. And he has done nothing to you." _That's what you think, _thought Snape acidly. "I am extremely serious about this matter, Severus. You are not to tell a soul. Not your parents, nor your friends, nor any other random family member of acquaintance of yours. Am I understood?"

"Yes, Headmaster." Snape stood up and began to stride out, without waiting for a dismissal, deliberately being rude and not caring.

"And Severus?" Snape paused in the doorway, but didn't turn back. "I am always there to talk, if need be," the wizened Headmaster remarked quietly. Snape didn't answer; he just left.

Dumbledore sighed, and sat back in his chair. Somehow, he felt older than he had felt in years.

X-X-X-X-X

"Padfoot! Did you bring me any chocolate?" Remus was ravenous; he hadn't eaten since the night before, and he'd felt sick before the transformation (as he often did). Normally, Remus had a hearty appetite, and he was starving. And as chocolate was a favorite of all four boys, one of them usually made a point to bring Remus some the morning after the full moon.

"I… no, I didn't." Remus examined his friend. Remus's senses had always been acute, but never more so than immediately before and after the full moon. The further he got away from it, the better he slowly began to feel.

But now, however, his sense of smell was sharp – and he could smell anxiety and sweat on Sirius. It didn't take werewolf senses, however, to see that Sirius was nervous – he kept wringing his hangs and his face was paler than Remus had ever seen it. "Mate, what's wrong?" he asked immediately, forcing his protesting muscles to allow him to sit up quickly in bed. "What's the matter with you? Are you sick?"

"No, I…" Sirius dropped into a chair, and put his face in his hands. "God, Remus, I'm sorry. I'm so, so sorry."

Remus tentatively reached out a hand to touch Sirius's shoulder; his friend jerked back. "What's wrong, mate?" stammered Remus, beginning to feel anxious himself, now. He hadn't hurt anyone last night, had he? Had they done something stupid in their outing?

But whenever they want out to explore, all four in their animal forms, Remus felt different. More human. And he could usually remember those nights. Now, he couldn't. Which meant that he had spent the night completely feral.

_Oh, that's right – the party. They probably didn't have time to come down afterwards. But what's wrong with him, then?_

What Remus _could _remember, however, was his keen nose and ears picking up specific scents and noises. He'd heard lots of screaming, although he couldn't _quite _remember whom the voices belonged to, and several scents… sweat, fear, and… _wisteria?_

Yes, without a doubt. He keenly recalled the scents of wisteria, lavender, and lily of the valley. Those were… _girls' _scents. And he knew that wisteria was the smell of Alyssa's favorite perfume…

"Sirius." Remus's voice was monotone – he felt a bit dizzy, as if he were trying to think of something that wasn't within the reach of his mind. "What happened last night?"

Dimly, he saw Sirius raise his head from his hands, his pale gray eyes standing out like beacons in his white face. "We… you… I'm sorry, Remus."

"Sorry for _what?"_

"I… Merlin, I'm so stupid. Remus, I told Snape to go to the Whomping Willow last night." Remus went as white as a sheet of ice, whiter than even Sirius. "He was on his way out there, when Evans saw him. She went after him. Well, once James realized where she'd gone, he went after her – unfortunately, he didn't count on Garnet and Comforts coming along… I went after them…" Remus was frozen. "You didn't hurt anyone," said Sirius, looking down at his hands. "It's probably why you hurt so much. We had to fight you to keep you away from the girls. I'm sorry, mate." Remus was still frozen, his fists clenching and unclenching the hospital sheets with white-knuckled hands. "Say something…" Sirius reached out to touch his friend on the shoulder.

But Remus whipped his hand around, gripping Sirius's wrist in a tight grip as he pulled the dark-haired boy to stare him in the face. "I didn't hurt anyone?" he whispered.

"No," said Sirius. There was a silence. "Moony, I'm so-"

"Get out." Sirius didn't need to be told twice; he fled, wondering if Remus would ever forgive him or want to talk to him again. As the door slammed shut behind him, he thought he'd heard sobs of relief. But he'd never know.

X-X-X-X-X

Sirius stood for a few moments before the girls' door. Well, he didn't _stand, _exactly. If he had been, the stairs would have turned into a slide beneath his feet. Rather, he was hovering on his broomstick. He raised his hand and smartly knocked on the door.

Marlene McKinnon opened it, and her jaw dropped. "How did – but, the slide-?" She looked down, and realized Sirius wasn't _quite _standing before her. "Oh." Then she grinned. "That's ingenious. I'm surprised nobody ever thought of that before."

_At least McKinnon's not mad at me. I suppose that's something._

"What do _you _want?" came a rude voice.

_Ah, but Garnet is. But I expected that._

"I wanted to apologize."

_I really do want to, you know._

"And I want to hit you. We can't all get what we want, can we?"

_If you want, you can hit me._

"I'm sorry."

_I really am._

"Sorry." That was Lily's voice, and it was acid to his ears. "That's all you can say? That's hardly good enough, Black."

_I'm beginning to wish you would hit me._

Fortunately, Janine seemed able to read his mind, and with a resounding smack, she slapped him across the face. He jolted a bit, but managed to cling to his broom. "I'm sorry," he said again, forcing his eyes to focus on the three girls in front of him. Behind them, he could see Jen King sitting on her bed, looking at him, as though she wanted to be angry, but couldn't help but feel a _little _sympathetic towards him. _I don't deserve that, _he thought. _That sympathy. I don't deserve it…_ "There's nothing else I can say to you. I'm sorry."

Janine's eyes zeroed in on his. "You're sorry. Fine. You're forgiven. Go away, now." Her tone made it clearly that he was not truly forgiven, and so Sirius hesitated.

"It's not us you should be apologizing to," added Lily coldly. "I suggest you leave." He slowly floated down the staircase, knowing she was right. He only glanced up once.

"When you find Comforts, tell her what I said," he said quietly. "I'm off." Lily and Janine disappeared, but Marlene waited in the door, watching him.

"It's okay, you know," she said, very quietly. "We all make mistakes." She gave him a weak smile. "You know how Lily is. She holds a grudge forever. But Janine's a fairly forgiving person. She'll get over it."

It occurred to Sirius that, at one point in his life, he wouldn't have cared if Janine had forgiven him. But the fact that he'd nearly helped along the loss of her life and she still might find it possible to forgive made him feel better. Maybe Remus could even forgive him, someday.

"I'll see you around, Sirius." And with that, she shut the door, but she gave him a smile, as if she understood something that he himself didn't quite understand.

Thoroughly befuddled, Sirius flew down the staircase to find Remus standing in the center of the common room, just as Alyssa Comforts entered, her face screwed up in fury as her blue eyes focused on her boyfriend in the middle of the room.

X-X-X-X-X

A/N: So, there's the aftermath of James and Sirius's idiocy and stupidity. Here's a hint of what's to come: more LJ tension, Hagrid, and Janine finds a new boyfriend to replace Fabian! But who is it? Meanwhile, Marlene and Fabian are blissfully happy together, and the time until the Christmas holidays dwindles… Reviews are appreciated, as always! I usually wait until I've got around 8-12 reviews (12 being optimum, of course). So review all you want, please, and I'll love you! Life-size Sirius and Remus dollies for all of you that review! Peaches


	9. Stolen Kisses and Secret Snogs

Disclaimer: Characters and settings are property of J.K. Rowling. What you don't recognize is mine. And I _wish _I owned the Marauders (specifically Sirius and Remus) but most unfortunately, I do not. L

X-X-X-X-X

It was fortunate that Alyssa rarely got truly angry, and that even when she did, she usually didn't yell very loudly. Unfortunately for Remus, this was an exception, but that hardly mattered. Everyone was in class, anyway, with the exception of the Gryffindor sixth-years and probably Snape. This was fortunate, too, because Remus and Alyssa's breakup was not only incredibly emotionally straining and messy, but it was also quite loud.

The specifics were never again mentioned, at any point in their lives. They'd all heard Alyssa cry and ask questions with answers that Remus couldn't give – questions like "Why didn't you tell me?" or, more importantly, "Why didn't you trust me?"

Eventually, Alyssa took deep, shuddering breaths, and said, "I can't be with you if you don't trust me. Your lycanthropy – I'm scared of werewolves, but I might have gotten past that. But you don't trust me, and that makes our relationship perfectly clear to me." And she left, to the dormitory. She never officially cried, "It's over," or "This is goodbye," or anything of the sort. She'd just said that the relationship was clear to her, and that was it. Then she left. There was nothing more.

To say that Remus was miserable was an understatement. He refused to look at Sirius for the rest of the day (they'd all skipped classes) – but, as it turned out, he didn't have to worry about avoiding him the rest of the week. Sirius had vanished by the next morning.

Janine told him – after all, she belonged to the long gossip chain of Hogwarts – that Sirius had been suspended for a week. He couldn't decide whether or not he was happy about this.

For the first time in his life, Remus felt well and truly alone. Before, he'd always had his family. After arriving at Hogwarts, he's more or less always had his friends. Now, it was different. Sirius was gone – which was fine, because Remus would have avoided him anyway – and Peter was not much of a comfort, as he was clearly torn between his friends. James avoided him entirely, rarely talking to him. After questioning several people, Remus had gotten the full story out of the girls. He thanked James emotionlessly for saving Snape's life, and James had nodded.

Peter later explained to him that James and Sirius were too close for James to give up on Sirius entirely, and for the time being, James couldn't make himself be around Remus when Remus so clearly didn't want anything to do with Sirius. Nothing to do with Sirius meant nothing to with James, at least for the time being. While Remus wasn't particularly happy about this, he understood it. The pair were like brothers, and nothing could rip them apart. Not even Sirius's suspension, as they wrote to one another daily. Remus recognized Sirius's owl coming to James at every breakfast.

Sirius's disappearance didn't go completely unnoticed by the rest of the school. Everybody noticed several things - that the Marauders weren't as boisterous as they usually were, that Sirius was nowhere to be found (including the Hospital Wing and the secret bedroom on fifth floor that was used for things late at night that teachers pretended not to know about), that Remus and James were no longer speaking to one another and that the animosity between James and Severus Snape seemed to have reached a new height. But nobody knew why.

Gryffindor and Slytherin points rapidly decreased as the week flew by, mainly due to smashing ink pots, hexed quills, biting books, and any number of things. Most of the sixth-years learned within the first day that it was wise to peer into a classroom before going in, and to duck at regular intervals throughout the period.

Needless to say, Professor McGonagall and Professor Violet were rather unhappy.

And so, with due course, Friday, November 24th, 1975, arrived. And the last class of the day was not going well. "POTTER! SNAPE! STOP THAT AT ONCE!"

Professor Cetearyl – their Potions Professor – looked ready to explode. Cetearyl was generally easy-going and a nice man, and, as was decided by most of the school, not a very bad sort for an ex-Slytherin. He wasn't head of the Slytherin house, which helped, and he was impartial to all houses, favoring none of them. He did, of course, have favorite students, but that depended entirely upon their skill level and not their house. Most girls swooned at the sight of him – he was very young, and extremely good-looking – but his looks were ruined (just a bit) by anger.

At the moment, half of the class was dripping with black ink – nobody knew _quite _who had started it (or even if it was James or Snape, although it probably _was _one of the two) – due to several simultaneous explosions of inkbottles.

The only person who was even more furious than Cetearyl, however, was Lily. She stood up furiously and scowled wrathfully at James Potter. Her temper had been building all week, but she'd reached the limit. "POTTER! THAT'S _IT!"_ She pointed angrily out the door. "Outside! _NOW!"_

James scurried outside – the only good part of this being that he'd get to be alone with Lily – and was followed by the redheaded girl, who slammed the door behind her. Everyone stared after them in amazement, including Cetearyl. He turned back to his class and said waspishly, "Clean up this mess!"

Outside, Lily was busy yelling at James. He stood there, stock-still, just watching her yell at him, not taking in a word he said.

_She's pretty, even when she's mad._

_Why doesn't she like me, anyway? It can't be because I'm a prat. I know I'm a prat. But she doesn't mind Janine, does she? And Janine's a prat._

_Maybe Janine is a different sort of prat than I am? Or maybe I'm just more prat-ish. Is that it? Because I'm too prat-ish?_

_Well, that's hardly fair. Mum always told me that Dad was an awful prat at school, and she loved him anyway. So why can't Lily love me?_

_I don't get it._

"…You're not even listening to me!" she shrieked. "What's the matter with you? Does _nothing _penetrate that thick skull of yours?"

"Hmm? What?"

"ARGH!" Lily threw her satchel on the ground furiously. "You're so… so… so stupid! Isn't it bad enough what you did on Mon-"

James slapped a hand over her mouth, effectively silencing the rest of what she was going to say. "Shh!" he hissed. "Not so damn loud, Evans – what's wrong with you!?"

Quickly, he dragged her into a nearby broom closet (amazing how those things were _always _on hand when you needed one) and shut the door behind him, putting a silencing charm (and a locking charm that would hopefully last longer than five minutes) on the door. Then he let go of Lily and let her rant.

"WHAT THE HELL DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING? LET ME OUT OF HERE THIS INSTANT!"

"Would you shut up, for once?" snapped James irritably. "Let's get one thing straight, Evans – you're not to mention Monday night ever again. I don't care what it takes to get you to shut up, but you'd better _get _shut up and _stay _shut up. It's bad enough with Snape knowing-"

"And who's fault was _that?" _she said acidly. "I'll give you this much, Potter – saving Snape's life was pretty… decent, of you. But it doesn't earn you back any points. After all, Snape would never been out there if it hadn't been for you, now would he?"

James opened his mouth, intending to grouchily point that it was actually _Sirius _who had told Snape how to get into the Whomping Willow, and he had had nothing to do with it, which was something she should already KNOW, as it had been mentioned several times, but he got the feeling that she wouldn't care. He closed his mouth.

"Good. Now that you've _finally _been stunned into silence – a miracle, I'm sure – let _me _tell _you _something. All right, I slipped up back there. But unlike you, I respect Remus's condition and would never go around telling anyone about it, particularly not someone like Snape." Lily scowled.

"I did _not _tell Snape! Sirius did!"

"You know something, Potter? It's still despicable. I would have _thought _that maybe you'd have gained some respect after this incident, but you haven't, have you? No, you've only gotten _worse! _You keep on bullying Snape, and I doubt that will _ever _change, and even if it _wasn't _your fault, you still should know better than to keep persisting to bully Snape! Instead, you stand up for Sirius although he's _obviously _in the wrong! And another thing-"

Without warning, James kissed her, his arms closing around her frame.

Truthfully, he hadn't been listening to a word she'd said – he'd been debating what to do. It wasn't very often that he had Lily Evans locked in a closet alone with him, and the last time they'd been in _almost _the same situation, he'd kissed her and come out unscathed. He might just get lucky again…

Lily was frozen, stock-still, until she reacted. For a moment – a brief moment – James thought she might be kissing him back, but she pushed him away, wiping her mouth with the back of her hand. "Ugh! Potter – you stupid – you stinking – ugh!" She slapped him, hard – James's glasses flew off somewhere and landed in the dark. As he dropped to his knees and fumbled around for them – _Okay, that was a bad idea_ – Lily pulled out her wand. James froze, thinking she might hex him, but she pointed her wand at the door and muttered, "_Alohomora._" The door sprang open, revealing a group of their classmates walking by. Everyone stopped and stared, but Lily stormed past them without looking back at James.

James was still looking for his glasses when somebody – Janine, he soon realized – bent over and said, "The left side of your face is all red. What exactly did you _do?"_

X-X-X-X-X

"And then… and then he… Ugh!" Lily sank lower in her seat, fuming. Hagrid chuckled lightly. Lily stared up at the gigantic man she had befriended in the later months of her first year. She smiled at the memory – she'd practically had to drag a screaming Janine to meet him. Of course, the moment Janine was actually _faced _with Hagrid, she'd shut up.

Lily remembered the day well – Hagrid had asked, _"Another Garnet, eh? I spend half me time durin' the Quidditch matches makin' sure yer idiot brothers don't get themselves killed up in the air on those broomsticks. Good flyers, though."_

_"Er… right," Janine had replied, in a small voice. "They're very good."_

_"Yeh play Quidditch too, then? Yer mum an' dad used to play, too. Yer dad was one of the ruddy best Chasers Gryffindor ever had, and yer mum was a good keeper to boot. Although I find meself rememberin' tha' yer grandparents – on yer mother's side, tha' is – weren't none too happy 'bout her playin' Quidditch. Said it was unfeminine and all tha'… but yer mother went right along playing it. She was the year ahead of me, and she was one o' the nicest people I ever met, even though we were in different houses… yer mum was a Ravenclaw, right?" Janine nodded, her eyes very wide. "And yer dad was the funniest bloke ever – kept gettin' his head bashed in, jus' like yer brothers."_

_"Oh… of course… yeah, I play Quidditch." Janine was still staring up at him with wide eyes as Lily grinned impishly as Hagrid turned on her._

_"Lily! Lily Evans, right?" She nodded. "Yeah, I met yeh last week. How're things goin' for you?"_

_"Good, Hagrid," said Lily with her warmest smile. "This is… er… my friend Janine."_

_"Yeah, I know." Hagrid smiled, his beetle black eyes crinkling with warmth. "I could hear her screamin' all the way over here – stuff about not wantin' to meet a scary giant and all, yeah?" Janine turned a bright red as Lily giggled and Hagrid patted her on the shoulder so hard that her knees buckled. "Well, tha's all right. Lots o' people are scared o' me." His voice turned a little sad. "Nobody ever comes to visit me that oft'n…"_

_"We'll visit a lot!" said Lily earnestly. "Right, Janine? Right?"_

_"Right," said Janine, faintly. But her voice was sincere, and Lily knew she meant it._

"Lily? Lily, yeh all right? Yer awful quiet an' everythin'…"

"Oh! Sorry, I was just… thinking." She sighed. "What am I going to do? About James, that is? I mean, he's just so…"

"Eh, he's all right," said Hagrid with a gentle smile. "Knew his mum and dad. They were two years ahead o' me, but they're great people. Real nice. I can't imagine James Potter bein' _too _awful… and he hangs out with that Sirius Black, and, well, both boys seem all right…"

"But he _kissed _me! Knowing I hate him, and everything! That's the second time this week!"

"Is tha' so?" Hagrid smiled slyly at her. "Seems to me tha' if yeh hated it so much, yeh shoulda pushed him away the first time he did it, eh?" Lily flushed, and Hagrid laughed. "It's all right if yeh go off fancyin' him, Lily. Lots o' girls do."

"I know," admitted Lily. She sighed, staring out the window, and noticed that a few flurries of snow were fluttering towards the ground. "But I don't _want _to fancy him."

"Why not?"

"Because, he's just so… so arrogant! He steps all over people like he owns the world, he struts around, mussing up his hair because he thinks it looks _so _cute, and all the girls swoon and drop at his feet, but he just seems to think that we all should worship him because he's _bloody _Potter, the hero of the Quidditch team, and-"

"Whoa, slow down, would yeh?" Hagrid grinned. "He's not such a bad bloke as all tha', Lily, and I think yeh know it, too. Yer makin' him out as bein' worse than he really is."

"No, I'm not! That's really what he's like!"

"Seems to me tha' yeh must've spent a whole lot o' time studyin' James Potter to know all tha' about him." Lily's mouth opened in outrage, but Hagrid pressed on. "And yer friend Janine doesn't think he's so bad, does she? In fact, I think they're friends."

"Yes, but-"

"And her judgment can't be all tha' bad, can it now? 'Cause she chose yeh as a friend, too…"

Lily opened her mouth, and then closed it. "He still had no right to drag me into a closet and… and do _that!"_

"Nah, I reckon yer right. He had no right to do tha', but he did, and we all make mistakes. He fancies yeh, Lily, and sometimes when blokes start fancyin' girls, they act like gits."

"James Potter doesn't _act _like a git. He just _is _one," retorted Lily crankily. She knew she was being childish and she didn't care.

Hagrid patted her shoulder gently (well, gently for _him)_, smiling at her. "Don't yeh think too hard on 'im, Lily. He's not a bad bloke, but if he annoys yeh that much, stay outta his way."

_If only it were that simple, _she thought glumly, and finished her tea.

X-X-X-X-X

"You're an idiot, James," Janine said flatly.

"I know."

"A _big _idiot," added Jen.

"I _know._"

"A _really _big idiot," finished Marlene.

"Damn it, I know!"

"Mr. Potter, if you're not going to be quiet, leave the library!" James quailed a bit under the fierce scowl of Madam Pince. At last, she sniffed and stomped off. He glanced at the three girls before him.

"Aren't you supposed to be _helping _me?" he demanded in a whisper.

"Well, we would, see," said Marlene slowly. "But you've been _such _an idiot."

"We established that, thanks," he replied acidly.

Janine sighed, and rubbed her eyes. "James, you're trying to _win _points with Lily, not lose them."

"Janine, I bloody well _know._"

"Then why did you kiss her?" Jen asked, frowning. "I mean, that's just… stupid. She doesn't even like you."

"Yeah, the slap I got clued me in."

Janine sighed, propping her chin up in her hand as she chewed on a sugar quill thoughtfully. "The thing about Lily is, you need to make her respect you. She's not going to if you keep taking advantage of her like that." Then she flushed. "I don't mean taking advantage of in _that _way!" she added hastily, just as James opened his mouth.

"I wasn't going to say anything. And anyway, it's not like I'm bloody asking the girl to marry me. I just want a date."

"Why?" Marlene's face was thoughtful. He stared blankly at her. "Why do you want to go out with her?" He still stared blankly at her. "You must have a reason."

"Well, I-"

"He's driven mad by lust due to her fiery red hair," interrupted Jen wisely. "He's so desperate to shag her that he doesn't think clearly and often makes stupid mistakes in her presence."

"You're getting as bad as Sirius, with all those stupid comments," James muttered.

"That's just stupid," Marlene said at the same time.

"Of course it's stupid," Janine agreed. "James makes stupid mistakes _all the time, _not just in her presence."

"Shut up," grunted James, and then looked at Marlene. "What sort of question is that? Of course I have a reason."

"He's driven by hormones," suggested Jen. Annoyed, Marlene reached across the table and smacked her.

"Shut up; you'll get us thrown out of here." She looked at James. "Come on, then, what's your reason?"

He shrugged. "She's new; she's different. And she rejected me."

"Which she's been doing for the past two years," Janine pointed out. "Frankly, I'm rather amazed that you haven't given up."

James puffed out his chest. "I'm not going to give up until she goes out with me. I'm that determined."

"You'll be in for a long wait, then," Jen said, sitting back. "Look, James, Janine and I have known you a long time, and none of us girls _really _think you're so bad. Except for Lily, of course."

"Speak for yourself," Janine muttered. Jen kicked her lightly under the table.

"Anyway, we'll put in a good word for you – see how it goes. But seriously, James," Marlene added earnestly, "this silly infatuation with Lily is getting you nowhere. You have to _prove _to Lily that you're worth it. That you're worth taking the time to get ready for a date with; worth having to sit down to dinner and having conversations with."

"Basically, you're telling me to change who I am."

_Thump._ Janine had banged her head against the table, and then she picked it up to scowl at James. "_No! _What we're telling you to do is-"

"Miss Garnet! This is a library!" Madam Pince was swooping by; she halted and narrowed her eyes at the brunette. "Is that a Sugar Quill?" James looked down at the table – Janine's box of Sugar Quills had quickly vanished. "That _better _not be candy in the library!"

"No, ma'am," Janine said meekly. Madam Pince sniffed disdainfully and stormed away. Janine snuck the box out of her lap and pulled another quill out. "Anyway… Look, James, we're not telling you to completely change." She knocked her knuckles against his head. "The first step is to deflate your head a bit."

"It's not inflated!"

"It bloody well is," the three girls chorused.

"SILENCE!" roared Madam Pince from somewhere between the bookshelves, causing the four Gryffindors to jump.

James sighed. "I'm not going to change for her."

Janine stood up, shouldering her bag. "Then you're not going to go out with her, either."

"Hah! I _knew _it! You _do _have candy in the library! Out! OUT!" screeched Madam Pince, throwing a book in Janine's direction.

Janine looked scandalized. "Well, _really! _A librarian, throwing her own books about-"

"OUT!"

"I'm going, I'm going!" Janine screeched as another book flew her way, dropped her box of sugar quills, and ran out the doors, slamming them shut behind her. Sniggers echoed throughout the library until Madam Pince whirled on them, too.

"BE QUIET!"

The other three Gryffindors very quietly snuck out. "We'll finish this conversation later," said James, once outside the library.

X-X-X-X-X

When Sirius at last came back to Hogwarts, things – to nearly everyone's surprise – quieted down. The Marauders were quiet, and with his best friend back, James seemed reluctant to constantly pick on Snape, which was a mystery to all of them, most of all Snape.

After all, the Slytherin had assumed that once Sirius had come back, the torment he endured would only get worse. After all, one annoying Marauder was bad, surely _two _would be worse…?

But it wasn't to be. Sirius and James pretended he didn't exist, and spent all their time in the common room, playing quiet games of Exploding Snap, or in the library, reading. This baffled Lily, too, although she was much better at hiding it than the rest of the school population.

"Just what are they up to…?" she wondered aloud, looking out the window below. It was a lazy Sunday afternoon, and Sirius and James were standing against the pristine snow, their dark hair and cloaks standing out like ugly marks on an otherwise perfectly white and pure landscape. The holidays were fast approaching, and both boys seemed to be involved in a serious discussion. More and more often, she had spied them walking off together, talking, without Remus and Peter.

"Who's up to what?" Lily glanced at Janine, who was chewing on her quill, staring at her parchment. "Damn Violet," she grumbled. "Giving us an essay _and _a test, due the last day of term… honestly… say, Lily, do you think you could-"

"No."

"I haven't even asked yet!" she squawked indignantly. Lily rolled her eyes.

"_No, _I won't help you finish your essay. You've had a week to work on it, and it's your own fault you haven't finished it. And it's not due for another week, so what are you complaining for?"

Janine wasn't listening to her. "I'm going to ask James to see _his _essay." She shot Lily a dirty look. "_He _lets me copy off of his homework all the time…" Lily returned her look with a disgusted one of her own.

"How can you even _talk _to him? After he-"

"Lily, we've been over this. James _did not do anything. _It was Sirius. Haven't we established that?"

Lily sighed. "You're right. I've been unfair to him, haven't I?"

"Too right you have."

"But it's just that… all right, I'll say that it was _more _than decent for him to go after Snape, especially after all these years of hating him. He didn't have to do that. But come on, Janine. He's been picking on Snape even worse than usual."

"Actually, it's stopped now. Since Sirius got back." If Lily thought if was strange that Janine was referring to him as 'Sirius' and not 'Black,' she didn't comment.

"You're missing the point entirely. I had thought that after this incident, they'd learn that enough was enough. But they haven't."

"They're boys, Lily. They never learn. And he's not so bad, Lily, he's really not. Maybe you ought to give him a chance before you so suddenly assume he's the most awful git in the world."

"He _is _the most awful git in the world," retorted Lily. Then she smiled. "Hey, look! Isn't that Marlene and Fabian?"

Janine peered out the window. "Yes, it is! Hey… they're snuggling under the tree! That's so… cute." She grimaced. "And boring. Who wants to snuggle under a silly old tree with all that lovely snow outside? It's much more fun to have a nice snowball fight, or go ice-skating. Hmph." She rolled up her parchment and tossed it aside. "I'll see you later. I promised… er… one of the Ravenclaws that I'd meet him in the library."

"Him?" Lily's eyebrows rose. "Replaced Fabian that fast, have you?"

"What do you mean, _that fast? _It's been a month! And anyway, we're only studying. It's not like a date, or anything."

"Mmm-hmm. Whatever."

"It's not a date!"

"If you say so."

Janine sighed irritably. "You're so annoying," she muttered, and then perked up. "You're coming to my house for the holidays, right?"

Lily snorted. "It's not a _house, _Janine. More like a separate country." Janine grinned, acknowledging this. Her family was rich – on both her father _and _her mother's sides, and they lived on a large estate. "But yes, I'm coming."

"Good. I'm going to the library, okay?"

"For your date."

"It's not a date!"

"Sure, whatever you want to call it."

"It's _not! _It's a studying session!"

"_Whatever _you want to call it." Lily ignored Janine's sigh of annoyance and glanced out the window again. Then stopped, surprised, seeing James standing by the lake. He was alone – Sirius was nowhere to be seen.

"Hey! Where'd he go?"

"Where'd who go?" Lily turned, and saw that Janine was dressed in a cloak, wrapping her scarf around her neck.

"Forget it. You'd better bundle up; it's awfully cold outside." Janine nodded and waved, letting the door slam shut behind her. Suddenly, Lily frowned. "Hang on, I thought she was going to the library…"

X-X-X-X-X

"Hey there, you." Janine stopped just a few feet away from him, smiling. "Having fun?"

"I was until _you _came along," he replied with a grin – his way of telling her he was kidding – turning and taking her in his arms. He kissed her forehead. "What took you so long?"

"It took me a couple of hours to make up an excuse to Lily," she replied, resting her head on his chest.

"That long? You're a pretty bad liar, then."

"I don't want her to find out," she retorted. "So I needed something believable yet not too close to the truth. Then I gave up and told her that I was going to… You really don't care, do you?"

"Not a bit." He leaned in to kiss her, but she pushed him away. He glowered at her. "What now?"

"Let's set the record straight. All this… it's just in good fun. No attachments or commitments, yeah?"

"Yeah," he replied roughly, and then he quickly closed the space between them, pushing her against the greenhouse walls for a fierce kiss.

X-X-X-X-X

A/N: Ooh, some nice new romance! James gets a stolen kiss from Lily and Janine gets a kiss from… some unknown guy. Personally, _I _think it's obvious, but that's just 'cause I know who it is. I hope you guys like this chapter – again, waiting for updates! The more updates I get, the WAY happier I'll be, and the sooner I'll update. Of course, it might take a while, because I'm having just some _teensy, weensy _writer's block – see, my problem is that I know specific events that I want to come in the future, but my problem is _getting _there. So I'm working on that. Oh, and I'm _really _sorry to all those Remus fans – I know, he's gone through enough problems, but he and Alyssa _had _to break up. She's scared of werewolves (you'll find out why later – specifics and everything) and she's mad at him for not trusting her. I mean, wouldn't you be? Although I'd forgive Remus because he's just so adorable and cuddly… Oh well. Life-size Sirius and Remus dolls (oh, we'll add James this time, too, just for the heck of it) to all of you wonderful reviewers! Peaches


	10. Going Home

Disclaimer: Characters and settings are property of J.K. Rowling. What you don't recognize is mine. And I _wish _I owned the Marauders (specifically Sirius and Remus) but most unfortunately, I do not. L

X-X-X-X-X

"Janine's been gone an awfully long time," commented Lily. "Hasn't she?"

"Yeah, she has been," agreed Marlene, frowning down at her enchanted pink diary, which trilled, "Come on now, dear, you must have _something _to write!" The door opened, admitting Alyssa and Jen.

"Where've you two been?" asked Lily.

"Library," replied Jen briskly. "We have that stupid Herbology quiz tomorrow, remember?" She nodded. "But you've probably already studied." Again, Lily nodded. "Whatever. I checked out this book on Magical water plants – think it'll come in useful?"

"Probably. We went over a few of the more dangerous aquatic ones last week, so they're likely to be on the quiz. Say, did you see Janine down in the library?" added Lily casually. "She said she had a study session with a Ravenclaw."

"Janine?" replied Alyssa, puzzled. Alyssa had been a bit moody for the past week, but she seemed to be cheering up – at least around her friends. Nothing, however, could make her forgive Remus. "No, we haven't seen her since breakfast this morning."

"No Ravenclaws, either," added Jen with a face. "Most people are having fun – I mean, it's Sunday, right? But _we've _been in the library for the last couple of hours. Mostly a few Hufflepuffs… but Bellatrix Black was there, holding court." Jen grimaced at the thought of the 'Queen of Slytherins,' seventh-year Bellatrix. She'd gone out of her way to torture the girls (and even the boys, sometimes) of Gryffindors, particularly the sixth and seventh years. "If she wants to be Queen, I wish she'd do it somewhere else so we don't have to look at her ugly face."

This, thought Lily, was not strictly true. Bellatrix was indeed beautiful – if you were drawn to the dark and hard sort of beauty. There were rumors that Bellatrix was indeed insane – and she may very well have been, but Lily avoided her at all costs. If you weren't one of her underlings, Bellatrix was trouble, no matter what house you were in.

"Anyway, Janine wasn't there," finished Alyssa after a slightly disturbed silence.

"Really," said Jen, with a snort. "Janine, in the library? That will never happen."

"Then where is she?"

X-X-X-X-X

Over the next few days, Janine disappeared on and off. Nobody knew where she went; Lily went so far as to ask James, who went so far as to accost Snape in the halls and ask him. Snape, being the congenial, polite person that he was, replied with a, "Piss off, Potter," and a cold promise to hex James if he ever bothered him again.

Janine was being secretive on the subject, insisting that she had to 'study' with her unknown-Ravenclaw friend who somehow managed to remain nameless until the last morning of classes. "At least tell us who this strange Ravenclaw study partner of yours is," persisted Marlene. "Just a hint." Janine ignored her. "If he's just a study partner, what's the problem with telling us?"

"Fine!" she finally snapped, looking irritated. "It's Andy, all right! Andy Cobalt!" Fiercely, she glowered around at her friends and looked at her breakfast plate, scowling.

"I always thought you were a better liar than that," said Lily casually. Janine looked up from her plate, glaring at her friend. "Andy Cobalt is a Hufflepuff."

X-X-X-X-X

For a while, it seemed as though the Marauders would never make up. It was like there was a line that could not be breached between them – on one side were Sirius and James, and on the other was Remus. Only Peter seemed to be able to walk across the middle, and even then he did it infrequently. He preferred to stay out of Sirius and James's way, preferring Remus's company. It was no secret among the four that Peter blamed Sirius for telling Snape and James for siding with him, just as Remus did.

It continued that way until Friday morning, the day before the train would leave for the holidays. Sirius was going to spend the holidays at James's, as was expected, and Peter promised that he'd pop by later. As to Remus…

"So, are you coming to my place over the holidays?" asked James tentatively that morning, sliding into a seat beside Remus, who just looked up at him with an expressionless face. "Of course, it's perfectly fine if you don't want to," he added hastily. "I just thought…"

"I don't know. It seems like a bad idea to drop in on your parents like that…"

Emboldened by the fact that Remus was now speaking to him (which was an improvement), James cut him off. "It's fine! They'll love having you there! You've stayed with us so often, it's like you're a second – no, wait, third – son to them, and they won't mind you being-"

"A werewolf?" James looked taken aback, momentarily stunned. He'd actually been about to say, 'being there,' but obviously that wasn't what Remus had in mind. Remus glowered at him as James's mouth opened and closed. Very suddenly, James was glad that he'd left Sirius up in the tower with strict instructions not to arrive for another five minutes. Remus's look and tone were bitter. "Don't tell me Sirius haven't told them. And what with Sirius having been living with you since June… well, he had no qualms about telling Snape."

"I… er…" James hung his head. "Sorry, mate. He was stupid. And he knows it. And I… look, Sirius is like my brother, and… And…" He trailed off. Remus had always finished his sentences before.

But he didn't this time. "And?" he prompted coldly.

"…And I'm sorry. We both are. Sirius never meant to hurt you, and I didn't want to divide us like I did. But it's just… Sirius and I… we're… okay, look. There's really not much else I can say."

"No. There isn't." Remus sighed. "I hate you, James." James sighed, too. "I hate you because I can't stay angry at you. It's a wonder that Lily's resisted your charms thus far. Although it might have something to do with your inflated head…" James looked up, to see a tiny smile on Remus's face.

"You forgive us?" he asked hopefully.

"I suppose so. I can't forget, though." Remus was serious again. "What Sirius did was… pretty unforgivable. Things won't be the same again, you know. And you did side with Sirius, and you have to admit he was in the wrong. But I'll try my best to forgive."

"We'll never do it again," swore James. "Never, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever…"

"I get the point." James closed his mouth. "And yes, I'm coming, if it's all right with your parents."

"All patched up, then?" asked Peter, plopping down beside James and pulling a plate towards him, immediately heaping it with food.

"All patched up," said Remus firmly. "Where's Sirius? I want him to know that we're all right again… well, sort of."

"No idea where he is," said Peter, wolfing down food. "We started off down here together and then he stopped, turned 'round, and said he had something to do. That was about ten minutes ago."

"Ten minutes?" asked James in disbelief. "How thick are you? Don't tell me you got lost on the way down here again… honestly, mate, it's been six years, you ought to know where it is by now…"

"Ha-bloody-ha," said Peter with a grumpy look. "No, but I saw Bellatrix Black, Evan Rosier, and Antonin Dolohov having a very secretive discussion. I eavesdropped a bit and then tried to find another way to get around them. One of the bloody staircases switched on me, though, and I somehow ended up on the eighth floor, and had to find my way down again."

"Find anything good?"

"No. Just that Garnet's been awfully secretive around Rosier lately. Apparently, he hasn't gotten a decent snog in weeks." James and Remus gave him disgusted looks, but Peter was in his element, speaking of gossip. "Then they talked about using Margaret Blair – you know, the rather sluttish seventh-year Slytherin? Right, well, using her to make Garnet jealous."

"Yes, Peter, we know who she is," said James wryly. "And I suppose Margaret Blair is _rather _sluttish… in the way Evans is _rather _bookish… or the way Alyssa is _rather _angry at – oh, sorry, Moony." He flushed.

"S'all right. I don't think we could've had much of a relationship, what with her hating werewolves and all…"

At that precise moment, Sirius bolted through the doors, looking handsomely disheveled. They stared as he attempted to tame his black hair into some sort of state and straighten his tie, redoing the knot. "'Morning. We all sorted out?" he asked, short of breath.

"Yep, all sorted out," said James. "Where've you been?"

Sirius didn't answer; his mouth was stuffed.

"Look, here come the girls," said Remus. Unsurprisingly, James's hand jumped to his hair upon seeing Lily. Remus rolled his eyes and dug into his breakfast again.

"So, what are you lot doing for the holidays?" asked Jen, pulling a napkin towards her and beginning to doodle on it. Her friends were mostly subdued, except for Marlene, who was sitting further along the table, beside Fabian Prewett.

"Going to Janine's," said Lily, pushing her food around her plate with a fork. She looked up. "You?"

Jen shrugged. "Apparently, my mum thought it'd be fun to drag the family off to Brazil, of all the bloody places. You know her – always into Botany and Herbology and all that. She's obsessed." James leaned closer, listening in. "I'll be at Janine's for the Masquerade, of course."

"Masquerade?" asked Lily quizzically, looking at Janine, who was glaring sleepily at her food. "What Masquerade?"

"Didn't I tell you?" asked Janine, seeming to wake up out of a trance. "It's a family tradition that the Garnets have – sort of a New Year's Party. Everybody comes in disguise. You'll be one of the first Muggleborns we've ever had," she added matter-of-factly. "I'm usually not allowed to go – it's generally an all-adult sort of thing, but Dad always was an old softie when concerning me. He said we're old enough, and Perry's mature enough. Besides, he knows if he doesn't behave himself, he'll get a whipping from Mum."

"Is it true that pureblood families whip their children when they're out of order?"

"Oh, sure. Assuming that the particular family is living in the Medieval Ages, of course. No, seriously…" She grinned. "Most families don't do that anymore. It's just an expression."

"Ah."

"Janine…" began Jen slowly, her eyes narrowing. "What's that you've got on your neck? Is that a _hickey?"_ Janine's hand clapped to her neck, and Jen snorted. "You're so gullible," she cried. "I _knew _it! Who is it?"

"There is no _it, _thank you," said Janine, lowering her hand. "And don't scare me like that."

"You've been single – at least, publicly – for weeks," said Alyssa, looking interested and awake now, leaning closer. "Come on, we're your best friends – tell us!"

"There's nobody!" snapped Janine irritably, glowering at her food again. "Now please leave me alone, all of you!"

James sat back in interest. "Wonder who she's off with now?"

"What do you care?" asked Sirius, still shoving food into his mouth. "You're too hung up on Evans to notice any other girls, anyway."

"Fair point," said James, grinning. "But I was just curious."

"Well, stop being curious," said Sirius irritably. "If she's not going to tell her own friends, what makes you think she'll tell _you?"_

James looked injured. "I'm her friend! We practically grew up together!"

"So? I've known her my whole life, too, and she used to hate me."

"Yeah, but…" Sirius stood up. "…Where are you going?"

"Get to class early. Bye." Dropping his spoon in his empty porridge bowl, he grabbed his bag and strode quickly through the doors.

"Well, what the hell was _that _all about?" James looked irritably at Peter, who appeared as clueless as he was, and then at Remus.

But Remus had a shrewd, calculating look on his face as he watched their fourth counterpart leave.

X-X-X-X-X

"Finally!" said James, leaping out of bed. "It's Saturday, and we're going back to the Estate! Right, Padfoot?" He waited, but there was no answer.

James looked around quizzically – it was quite early, and Peter and Sirius' velvet curtains were drawn shut. Only Remus's appeared to be open, the sheets and blankets neatly folded, the bed made – just as Remus always left it. Remus often arose early, asking his friends not to follow him – and they never did.

It was understandable that Sirius was not yet awake – he was a heavy sleeper, and rarely woke up for anything. In fact, the only way James had ever been able to get up was by whispering one of two things: "Oy, look at all that food!" or "Oy, look at all those naked girls!"

But what _did _puzzle him was that Sirius's usual, chainsaw-like snores were absent. Frowning, James went to Sirius's bed and yanked the curtains open.

Sirius's bed was empty.

Moreover, it was neatly made, rather as though nobody had even slept in it. James frowned, staring down at it. He went to Peter's bed, shaking his other friend awake. Peter sleepily sat up and yawned widely. "What time is it?" he asked grumpily.

"Eight. Get up."

Moaning, Peter flopped back in bed, trying to muffle James's voice with his pillow, but James grabbed his pillow and blanket and threw them on the floor. "James, go _away,_" he mumbled. "I'm trying to sleep."

"No, you're not. You're awake now – so get up. Where're Moony and Padfoot?"

"How the bloody hell should I know? Go 'way!" He groped for his blanket, grumbling incoherently. "Gimme my pillow and blanket, Prongs," he ordered irritably.

"No. Now get up."

Still complaining loudly, Peter rolled out of bed, landing on his backside on the ground, glowering up at James through his mussed fringe. "What do you want?"

"Where are Moony and Padfoot?"

"In bed, like we should be?" suggested Peter grouchily. James glared at him; he sighed. "Seriously, mate. I've no idea."

"Well, it's not like Sirius to get up unless someone's said 'food' or 'naked girls.' Which means we have to find him."

"If you want to know where he is so badly, why don't you just look for the bloody map?"

_Oh._ "That's right, look at the map," said James, rifling through his trunk, sounding for all the world as though it'd been his idea in the first place. "Wormtail, it's gone. Did you take it?"

Peter rolled his eyes. "Yes, James. I took it, and then suggested that you look for it. Exactly."

James threw his arms up in the air. "Then where the hell is it?"

"Didn't it occur to you that Sirius and I didn't _want _to be found?" asked Remus from the doorway, his eyebrows raised. "Anyway, we're here now. And we've only got two hours until the train leaves, and this dormitory is a sty. So unless you want to leave half of your things behind…"

The boys set to cleaning their dorm up (which meant throwing what was needed in the trunks and shoving the rest under the bed). James sidled closer to Remus. "Where were you?" he asked in a low voice. Remus hummed a tune off-key, pretending not to here. "Oy, Sirius!" he bellowed (causing James to wince). Remus gave him a friendly smile. "Sorry about that," he said loudly. "Sirius, is this yours?" He held up a Puddlemere United jumper that he'd dragged out from underneath his bed. "It's not mine," he added for clarification.

Sirius approached and inspected it, sniffing it gingerly. Finally, he handed it back to his friend, showing Remus the 'JP' marked on the tag. Remus grinned sheepishly. "Er, right. Here you go, Prongs." He tossed it in James's face – James wrinkled his nose at the smell. _How long has this thing been under there, anyway? Ugh. Better ask Mum to wash it…_ "Happy Birthday."

Knowing that he wouldn't get anything out of Remus, he turned to Sirius and opened his mouth, when Remus said casually, "I received a letter from my mum," he said casually. "She's sick." He saw their looks. "Don't look at me like that. She really _is _sick, this time. And anyway," he added irritably, "the Full Moon was a little while ago, or were we so busy pretending to hate each other that you didn't notice me missing?"

James and Sirius exchanged guilty looks, but said nothing.

"Anyway, she's asked me to visit. Is it all right if I show up at your house for the second week of vacation? Besides, Gavin – you remember him? He's visiting."

They did remember Gavin, of course. He was Remus's first cousin. There was a drastic age different between the two (twelve years), but they were nonetheless very close. Gavin lived in Australia, as a vampire hunter, or so he said in his infrequent letters. The boys often enjoyed Gavin's letters to his younger cousin, for they were filled with mysterious tales. Remus always made a point of gathering them around the common room fire and reading them aloud. James suspected that Gavin was embellishing his adventures quite a bit, but that was all right. They were interesting to read.

"Bring him when you come, would you?" asked Sirius hopefully. "We can have an evening of laughs when we hear of his 'adventures.'"

"How much truth _do _those adventures hold, anyway?" asked Peter, pausing in the act of throwing a screaming yo-yo (which Sirius had wisely silenced their first day back) into his trunk.

"Very little, I expect," said Remus with a grin. "But that's all right. If he wants to make himself out to be some big hero, far be it from me to stop him." His three friends smirked at him. "Anyway, apologize to your mum for me. I feel awful, but I don't know how sick Mum is, so…"

"It's fine," interrupted Sirius, looking as though he were determined to be a good friend after his past transgressions. "Come whenever you can, all right? Jamsie and I will keep your room ready."

Remus's eyes were a bit distant. "Thanks," he finally said. James bit his lip. Remus was trying his best, but even after he had 'forgiven' them, he seemed to be finding it more and more difficult to connect with Sirius. James hoped very much that it was just a phase, but he had a feeling that whatever distance had been created would remain for a long while to come.

"No problem," said Sirius uneasily.

James felt a sense of an awkward silence coming on, so he clapped his hands loudly. "So!" Sirius and Remus jumped at the sound, as though they'd forgotten that they were not alone in the room. "Shall we get on with this packing, then?"

X-X-X-X-X

"That's not fair!" cried Janine, glowering at James. "You never lose!"

"That's because he cheats," said Sirius with a sly grin, looking at James and Janine's fifth successive game of Exploding Snap. "You're better off playing chess with Moony."

"But he wins all the time, too."

"True. But _he _doesn't cheat." James elbowed Sirius to make him shut up. He was glad Janine had dragged her friends into their compartment. Although it meant they couldn't discuss anything secretive, it was more fun. Besides, Lily was immersed in a book not far from him, ignoring everyone, as everyone was ignoring her. And the others were being so loud (somehow, Janine, Alyssa, and Sirius had gotten into a raucous argument that was sure to attract attention up and down the car) that nobody would notice if he went and talked to her. He fell into a seat beside her. She didn't even take notice.

"So, are you going to the Garnets' New Years Masquerade?"

Startled, Lily jumped, allowing her book to fall from her hands to her lap. She stared at James in surprise, forgetting to scowl at him. "Sorry?"

"I said, are you going to the Garnets' New Years Masquerade?"

She frowned. "How do you know about that? James Potter, if you've been eavesdropping on our conversations, I'll-"

"Relax. My parents go every year, so naturally, I'm going to go keep Janine in line and make sure she behaves herself." Lily snorted, as if that was highly unlikely (which it was). James grinned. This was an improvement from how things normally went between them. "I was just curious if you were going to go."

"Yes, I am," she finally replied. "But Janine's going to have to explain all those ridiculous rules to me – she says there are a lot."

"That's because her grandparents are going to be there," explained James. "They're old blood – you know, old blood, old money, that sort of thing – so they're huge sticklers for protocol. Her parents are nice, though-"

"I know. I've met them many times. The five of us go to one another's houses every holiday," said Lily, gesturing at all her friends. She gave him a puzzled look. "Didn't you know?"

"Er… no." He stared at her, wondering if she'd slap him this time if he kissed her. She seemed to read his mind; she scowled.

"Don't you _dare,_" she said in a low, threatening voice. "Or I'll hex you into next century, and once you're there, I'll send a curse that will put you six feet under."

James winced. _Yeah, she'd slap me._ "I wasn't going to," he lied. She gave him a skeptical look. "I wasn't!"

Very suddenly, Alyssa plopped between them, wriggling until James scooted over. _Damn it, _he thought irritably. _Couldn't you just stay away, Comforts?_

"What are all the serious faces for?" she giggled. "Cheer up! No homework for two weeks!"

Lily rolled her eyes and picked up her book. James ran his hand through his hair in frustration, staring at her for a few moments, but she didn't look up again. He sighed. "Oy, Janine, want to play Exploding Snap?"

"No. You cheat. And I'm busy." And she was – she was playing chess with Remus, and losing horribly. "I have miserable luck," she groaned as his rook captured her queen.

"No, you don't," said Peter cheerfully. "But Remus pretty much never loses." He looked thoughtful. "No, that's not true. He _never _loses."

"Gee, thanks," said Janine, and pulled Jen down next to her. "You play," she grouched, and snatched Sirius's Quidditch Magazine away from him ("Hey!"), nestling into a chair and staring at a page (James somehow doubted that she was reading.)

"Doesn't take losing very well, as you can see," said Marlene with a smirk. Jen, too, was losing horribly to Remus. "Move over, and let me play," she ordered. Jen was quite happy to give up her seat.

James watched the game. (Remus won.)

And from the corner of her eye, when nobody noticed, Lily watched _him._ She allowed a small smile to flit across her face. And then she returned to her book.

X-X-X-X-X

A/N: Oh my gosh, I'm SO sorry for taking so long with the update! First I had writer's block, and then I wrote and rewrote this chapter about fifteen times (that's actually NOT an exaggeration). I really want to thank everyone who's stuck with me thus far, and I hope you'll continue to read! As you can see, Lily's beginning to like James a bit more… only half a year (in their time, anyway) until I can write as much LJ Fluff as I want! Whee! Okay, yeah… Thanks for sticking with me. And it's finally occurred to me that this story doesn't have much of a plot, but oh well. This story is going to go all the way until the end. Life-size wolf cubs (or are they wolf pups? I've had this argument with my mother and brother so many times) and life-side cuddly black dogs for all my reviewers! Peaches


	11. Home Sweet Home

Disclaimer: Characters and settings are property of J.K. Rowling. What you don't recognize is mine. And I _wish _I owned the Marauders (specifically Sirius and Remus) but most unfortunately, I do not. L

X-X-X-X-X

"JAMES! SIRIUS! STOP THAT!"

James slid to a stop so suddenly that Sirius smacked into him and they both went sprawling. Footsteps stormed over to where the two boys lay, and James looked up into his mother's face. Katrina Potter was an easy-going woman in general, but James feared her in a temper (as he did now). "'Lo, Mum," he said with his most innocent smile. "We were just-"

"-Zooming around on enchanted roller-skates?" James gave his mother a feeble smile, and could see that she fought to keep from smiling in return. "Take them off, boys."

"Yes, Mum."

"Yes, Mrs. Potter." She strode imperiously away, and both boys waited until she was gone before breaking into laughter. "How many vases d'you think we broke?"

"Three, prob'ly… Mum'll be really hacked off when she finds them."

"Too bad we can't do magic and repair them."

"Yeah, too bad." A yell of anger echoed throughout the hall, and the two exchanged looks. "Sounds like she found them," said James casually.

"Sure does. Reckon would she run?"

"Yeah. I think we can hide out in the stables…" And both boys leapt to their feet and skated away, just as an irate Mrs. Potter stormed back into the hall.

X-X-X-X-X

"Oh, look at this," said Mr. Potter in amusement, casting an eye over the morning post. Sirius and James were bowed humbly over their porridge (Mrs. Potter had confiscated the roller-skates) under the watchful eye of Mrs. Potter. "Invitation to the Masquerade." He handed it to his wife, who read it aloud.

"'_William and Margaret Garnet invite you to Garnet Manor to celebrate the New Year at a Masquerade. December 31-January 1: 8 o'clock in the evening until 2 o'clock in the morning.'_ Goodness, that's quite late, isn't it? _'Please dress in proper attire in accordance with the dress code.'"_

"They have a bloody dress code?" asked James in disbelief.

"James! Language! _Formal attire with masks that hide one's face. Remember, keep your identity a secret! _Well." She put down the invitation. "Eddy, are we going?"

"Naturally," said Mr. Potter, putting down his spoon. "Kat, take the boys to Diagon Alley to buy their clothes, would you? I've got to get to work." He stood and pushed his chair in. "Be good, boys. No more enchanted roller-skates, understand?" Both boys nodded meekly, particularly under Mrs. Potter's glare. "Good. I'll see you this evening, Kat." He gave her the perfunctory kiss on the cheek, James the perfunctory ruffling of hair, Sirius the perfunctory clap on the back. And he swiftly apparated.

Suddenly stiffened, Mrs. Potter got out of her chair and disappeared through the door. James glanced at Sirius. "Now, I love my dad and all, and I know he loves Mum, but…"

"…That whole perfunctory thing – kind of like it's habit, or required – gets on your nerves?"

"A bit. But he's too busy to notice. I feel bad for Mum."

"So do I. I guess we're going to Diagon Alley today, eh?"

"S'pose so. We'd better change out of our pajamas." Leaving their half-empty bowls behind, they went up the grand staircase, down several hallways, at last reaching James's bedroom. Now that Sirius lived at Potter Estate, he had his own bedroom, with a connecting door to James's. He went through that now, but left the door open as he changed into a pair of faded jeans and a sweater, pulling serviceable black robes over all that. "Don't we have to get old-fashioned clothes for the Masquerade?"

"Yeah!" James shouted back, his voice muffled by his pulling a shirt over his head. "I'm sure there's some ancient place we can find in Diagon Alley that'll sell what we need!"

"Hope so!"

James walked into Sirius's bedroom, fully dressed, although his glasses were slightly askew. Sirius raised his eyebrows; James gave him a sheepish smile. "Forgot to take them off while changing."

"Again?"

"If you wore glasses too, I'd bet you'd forget all the time."

"Would not."

"Would too."

"Would not."

"Would too.

"Would-"

"Are you boys ready?" They glanced up; Mrs. Potter was striding imperiously into the room. She reached her son, fixed his glasses, and then yanked Sirius's shirt straighter. "Hmph. If you're going to dress, the least you could do is do it _properly._"

They exchanged looks as Mrs. Potter led them from the room. "She's in a bad mood," Sirius observed.

"Shh! She might hear you!"

"I _can _hear you, James, Sirius. Come along." The boys exchanged looks again and wordlessly followed her down the hall.

X-X-X-X-X

"I don't know," said Alyssa doubtfully. "Mother, what do you think?"

Sophia Comforts glanced up at her daughter without much interest. "It's fine, dear. Why don't you get that one?"

"Well, it has to be perfect!"

"What for? You binned your boyfriend anyway… Cecilia, would you watch Alyssa for a while? I'll be back in a bit." Mrs. Comforts left.

Alyssa looked mournfully at Cecilia Roberts, her mother's sister. Cecilia smiled sympathetically at the blond girl, coming to her. "Your mother's just busy, that's all."

"Aunt Cecilia, what do you think of this one?" Alyssa twirled, and her skirts blossomed out. "It's blue, and while it's perfectly nice, it's just…"

"Not quite your type. Although you do look lovely in blue, darling." Cecilia tilted her head. As the owner of the shop, she was more than happy to give her niece and her friends some of the latest fashions to model off – and it didn't hurt her business any, to have five pretty girls – three of whom were purebloods – advertising her shop. She took one more step back and shook her head. "That won't do at all. It looks too… well, whatever it is, it isn't for you. How about green?"

Alyssa made a face. "No, please."

"No?" She frowned. "How about pink, then? That's your regular, but I'm sure I can find something innovative for you…"

"…Pink sounds lovely," said Alyssa at last, stepping delicately from the stool. "What have you got in mind?"

"Well, I've got a beautiful orange dress in the back – quite lovely, and it would look nice with your complexion – but I can change the color. I'll need to do a bit more adjusting too; it was made for someone much larger than you."

"Shall I stop by later?"

"That'd be wonderful, dear. Now, run along, and do you Christmas shopping. I'll detain your mother so she doesn't drag you off to look at antique jewelry again."

"There's nothing wrong with antique jewelry, Aunt," said Alyssa with a pointed look. "It's just very dusty, that's all. But thank you." She pushed the door open, hearing the faint tinkling of the bell behind her.

Alyssa glowered up at the cloudy sky. Snow was fluttering down around her, settling on her shoulders and in her hair. Pulling her coat closer, Alyssa took a deep breath and stepped into the large crowd of Christmas-shoppers.

X-X-X-X-X

"Checkmate." Lily sat back, satisfied, as Jeffrey stared at the board. Jeffrey, at nineteen, was the youngest player to ever join the Montrose Magpies. Granted, he was only the reserve seeker, and it wasn't so surprising, as William Garnet – Janine's father – was the current captain of the Magpies.

Jeffrey made a face. "I like playing Janine. She almost always loses."

Across the room, his sister stuck her tongue out and aimed for the dartboard, throwing her dart and missing by several feet.

"I can't understand," said Damien, coming into the room, "how someone who is such a spectacular Chaser can be such a horrific darts player."

"I'm not horrific."

"Yes, you are."

"Am not!"

"You missed the _board _be three feet."

"Well, if you hadn't distracted me-!" Jeffrey snorted in laughter; Lily hid her giggles behind a hand. She looked at the chessboard.

"Should we set up again?"

"Forget it. My pride can only take so many losses." Lily made a face at him.

"Sore loser."

"I am." He stood up, and stretched. "Hey, Janie, you hear? Dad wants us in the drawing room at two this afternoon for tea."

"Okay."

"He said he had something important to tell us." Jeffrey scratched his head. "Can't imagine what it is, though…"

"Well, don't hurt yourself thinking too hard." Jeffrey grabbed a dart from a nearby table and threw it at her – he missed, also by several feet. Janine grinned. "And you say _I'm _bad."

"I'm not the Chaser." He jerked his head at the window. "Somebody's got an owl, by the way."

"Well, go see who it is."

"No."

Sighing, Lily got up (before Jeffrey and Janine began bickering, as they were wont to do). Taking the envelope from the owl (who immediately flew away) she handed it to Janine. "It's for you…"

Janine was about to open it, when Perry, from the corner, abruptly said, "It's from Grandma."

"How d'you know?"

"I just do. It's from her; you'll see."

Rolling her eyes, Janine slit the envelope open and scanned the letter. With growing curiosity, Lily noted that her friend was growing rapidly purple in the face. "What's the old bat say this time?" asked Jeffrey, looking at it.

"Don't say that," interrupted Damien. "She means well, even if she's got a bit of pureblood mania…" He glanced at Lily quickly, and nodded for Janine to read the letter aloud. "Go on."

Jeffrey took it from her and cleared his throat, reading:

_"Dear Janine,_

_It has come to my attention that you have broken off your relationship with Fabian Prewett. I must advise you at once to not waste any time in apologizing for your transgressions against him, whatever they may be. You must build up a good relationship, for when you reach the age of eighteen, I expect you to be well on your way to marriage, engagement ring and all._

_The Prewetts are an old, respected family, and a marriage into their set will be excellent for the family, what with your good-for-nothing brothers showing no signs of inclinations to making proper marriages, except for Lyon. When is he going to propose to that silly French tart he's always seeing? I admit that she isn't much in the brains department, but she's quite pretty, and she **should** make a good housewife._

_I hope you have not forgotten all my lessons, or I will have to send you to Miss Primm's Finishing School this summer. I sincerely hope that you can **finally** pour a cup of tea without spilling and carry a tray without breaking any of the good china. At least you could dance. It was about the only thing you **could** do._

_Either way, it's time for you to stop fooling around with boys at school. Not only is it extremely undignified and unladylike, if you continue those habits, you will grow up into a wanton woman, fit only for the brothels of Knockturn Alley. It's time for you to start thinking about marriage and becoming a good housewife._

_The first step in this direction, of course, is to immediately cease playing Quidditch. It is improper and far too masculine for a young lady. I do not want you to end up like your mother, married to a brainless Quidditch player who is fit for nothing but whacking silly balls and bats around and knocking others off of their broomsticks. I have told your mother many times before, and I will say it again: Quidditch is completely barbaric, and you must **not **play._

_I expect you to have apologized to and made up with Fabian by the time I arrive for the Masquerade. I know that the both of you will look lovely, waltzing about the ballroom together. Yours would be a good marriage. When I arrive, we will discuss your marriage and future plan. None of this Auror business, like your mother. The only thing I can say for your father is that the only thing he had right in marrying her was that he took her away from employment. A proper wizarding wife should be a housewife, content to tend her kitchen and garden, make lovely dinners for her husband and children, and always be ever pleasing. I trust that you are not nearly so temperamental as you were the last time I was there._

_That is all I can say in this letter – we'll talk some more when I come there. Your mother has told me you have a perfectly lovely friend by the name of Lily – I cannot wait to meet her. Speaking of whom, what is her surname? There are no Lily's in any pureblood family, as far as I can remember. Perhaps I'd best brush up on my Wizarding Genealogy, and I suggest you do, as well. It is for your own good. Do not reply to this letter; I will speak with you when I arrive._

_Affectionately,_

_Your Grandmother, Adelaide Morgan."_

Jeffrey slowly lowered the letter, looking at Janine, who was staring out the window sulkily, to Perry, who looked as though he'd expected no less, to Damien, who looked furious, and then last to Lily, who looked bewildered. He held up the letter with a weak smile. "Quite a piece of work, isn't she? Our maternal grandmother."

"Oh, dear… marry Fabian?"

"No," said Janine, stomping her foot. "I'm not _going _to. I'd marry… I'd marry James before I married him!"

"Well, I don't think Grandmother would much object if you married James," pointed Perry silkily. "I did tell you it was her, you know. And I could have told you that she'd want you to get married. It's quite normal."

"Nobody asked you," said Janine rudely, just as Lily asked, "How did you know all that?"

He smiled mysteriously. "Well, I _do _know everything." A long silence followed this pronouncement, and he added mischievously, "I overheard Mum and Grandma discussing it just before we went to school."

"I always knew we'd raised you right!" said Janine, forgetting about her problems for a moment, hugging her younger brother. She fixed him with a stern eye. "Now, if we could only get you on a broomstick…"

Perry gave her a mournful look. "I don't like brooms, Janine. I don't like flying, or Quidditch."

"No," she agreed. "You like books." He glanced at his feet; she ruffled his hair. "There's nothing wrong with that, Perry. You'll come into your own when you're older."

He nodded. "Yes. Yes, I will. But you might not like what 'my own' is."

"I'll like it, don't worry."

"If you say so." He still looked doubtful. But Janine looked confident, and so he gave her a rather weak smile. Perry half-turned and gave Lily a rueful smile.

But Lily continued to watch him carefully.

X-X-X-X-X

"Oy… Comforts! What're you doing here?" Alyssa turned, groaning inwardly – _Of all the people to run into _– and clutched her parcel tighter, as Sirius and James walked over, both holding large clothing boxes. "Here to get your costume, are you?"

"Yes," said Alyssa, beginning to turn. "So if you don't mind-"

"What's your rush? Stay and chat a while," said Sirius with a grin. "What afternoon could be better than one in our company?" Alyssa gave him a look dripping of sarcasm, although she said nothing. Sirius grinned, slinging an arm around her shoulders, as James dropped into stride on her other side, slipping his arm around her waist.

Needless to say, Mrs. Comforts was quite surprised when she encountered her daughter. And then, she smiled. "James Potter and Sirius Black. And how are your parents?"

"Fine," said James, as Sirius stared sullenly at the ground. Mrs. Comforts seemed to take this in stride, smilingly.

"Well! You three seem to be having lots of fun – I'll just take these things and go home-" She quickly took Alyssa's things, "-While you all go and wander about. Have a good day!"

"Wait – Mum!" cried Alyssa, but Mrs. Comforts whisked away, calling over her shoulder, "I'll see you at home, dear!" Alyssa looked helplessly after her mother, and then at Sirius and James.

"You two are horrible."

"It's not our fault your mum ran off," said Sirius, now cheerful again. "Anyway, now you get the chance to tell us what you got us for Christmas!" Alyssa's eyebrows rose.

"What makes you think I got you _anything?" _Then she poked at the boxes James and Sirius were holding. "And these?"

"Masquerade outfits," said James. "They're-"

And then, quite suddenly, an explosion rocked Diagon Alley, the ground lurching. The three teenagers were knocked to their feet, falling about one another, becoming entangled. James twisted, trying to find out what was going on. His eyes widened at the scene before him.

And then the screams began.

X-X-X-X-X

A/N: Thanks for all the reviews – I love you guys! I know I left it off at a cliffhanger, which is evil of me, but I really need to get the story moving along now. It's about time we had some action in here. 'Nuff lovey-dovey mushy fluff! (We'll get more of that later on).

And to respond to Lizzabeth Turner: Yeah, I know prefects aren't supposed to be able to take points away from houses (this has to do with the fifth or fourth chapter… something like that). The thing is, in the second book, when Harry, Ron, and Hermione are leaving Moaning Myrtle's bathroom, Percy Weasley catches them and says (and I quote): " 'Five points from Gryffindor!' Percy said tersely, fingering his prefect's badge. 'And I hope it teaches you a lesson! No more _detective work,_ or I'll write to Mum!' And he strode off, the back of his neck as red as Ron's ears." So this is what I figured… Prefects can't take points off of _other _people's houses, but they can take points off of their own. At least, that's the way I figured it…


	12. Somebody Named Tom

Disclaimer: Characters and settings are property of J.K. Rowling. What you don't recognize is mine. And I _wish _I owned the Marauders (specifically Sirius and Remus) but most unfortunately, I do not. L

X-X-X-X-X

Lily watched, with some amusement, as Janine and Jeffrey played pocket billiards. This, at least, the pair of them were good at, although Damien, who was now playing darts on his own, insisted that he was better than both of them.

To this pronouncement, Jeffrey had threatened to beat him about the head with the billet if he didn't shut up.

Nonetheless, magical billiards was much more interesting that ordinary billiards. Because the balls actually _talked _to the player, chattering and (occasionally) insulting. And at that precise moment, the 9-ball took the time to shout, "Oy! Watch where yer pokin' that stick, lassie!" Janine glowered and hit it into one of the pockets. Smirking, Janine set herself up for the next shot.

Lily giggled, trying to rid herself of the mentally amusing image of a billiards ball _talking_, and Janine shot her an irritated look. "Do you _mind? _I'm _trying _to concentrate!"

Damien rolled his eyes. "Oy, Lily, you want a butterbeer?" He held up his own bottle; he was standing by a mini-bar.

"Yes, please." Lily glanced at Janine, ignoring the fact that her friend was "concentrating." "What d'you suppose your dad wants to talk to you about?"

Janine understood the underlying question. "It's probably nothing too important," said Janine with a smile. "He won't mind you being there."

"You're sure?"

"Yeah, he-"

"They're coming." Startled, everyone turned to Perry, who, up until then, had been reading _A History of Magic_ (which, incidentally, was a book on a subject that was generally loathed by the majority of the Garnet family).

"Who's coming, Per?" asked Damien uneasily, exchanging looks with Janine and Jeffrey.

"The shadowed ones. They're coming. There will be pain." His eyes were unfocused; he was staring out the window.

Janine laughed suddenly; it was strained. That seemed to snap Perry out of his trance enough to stare at his sister. "Perry sometimes makes weird comments," she explained. "Just… just ignore it."

"Janine, I really do mean it this time," insisted Perry. "They're _coming._"

"Here?" she asked.

"No. Not here."

"Then we've got nothing to worry about. Go back to your book, Perry, I've got to beat the trousers off Jeffrey…"

Lily frowned, watching as Perry buried his nose in his book again. Moments later, he glanced up again, his blue eyes piercing. "They're _coming,_" he mouthed again, and proceeded to continue reading. Lily frowned again, tugging on one of her curls absently.

X-X-X-X-X

"_Avada Kedavra!" _Fortunately, the green whizzed by their heads and smashed into a wall behind them, scattering debris. James dazedly tried to find their attacker once more, through the smoke and wreckage that had appeared when Flourish and Blotts had exploded.

The first to react was Alyssa. She immediately pulled out her wand, pointing it at the approaching robed figure, and shouted, "_Stupefy!" _Although the Death Eater had dodged her spell, it had given the three teens ample time to leap to their feet and Sirius and James to pull out their wands, backing slowly away.

"_Avada Kedavra!" _Sirius slammed into Alyssa, knocking her to the ground and covering her body with his and more debris and rock showered down around them. "We've got to get out of here!"

"How?" she gasped, trying to wriggle out from underneath him. She aimed her wand at the Death Eater again, under Sirius's arm. "_Flagrate!" _At once, fire shot forth from her wand, alighting on the Death Eater's robe. With a yell of rage, he stamped on it, trying to put it out.

James grabbed Sirius and Alyssa, hauling them both to their feet, just as they broke into a frenzied run. The first shop that wasn't barred by screaming people was the one he ran into, dragging them with him. Quickly, he crouched behind a counter. "Stay quiet," he breathed. The store must have emptied out moments before, for it was eerily silent.

Until the door was blasted off the hinges. James gripped his wand. _I can't let **her** do all the work._ He waited for a Death Eater to peer cautiously over the counter, and shouted, "_Deletrius!"_

James was in such a panic that his spell hardly worked, but it was good enough. The Death Eater reeled back from the disintegration spell, howling. Sirius took his chances and jumped up, bellowing, "_Reducto!" _A scream echoed from not far. "Quick – there'll be more!"

They bolted for the door, barely making it out, taking in the scene quickly – the situation had worsened, already dead bodies and injured people littered the streets – and then-

A hand gripped James's shoulder. He whirled, terrified, ready to hex whoever it was, and saw his father's face. "The Leaky Cauldron, quickly!" he hissed, as an Auror shot a spell at the Death Eater, engaging him in a duel. "This isn't your place to be."

"But-"

"Go now!"

James didn't hesitate. Nodding swiftly to his friends, he broke into a run for the arch that was the entrance to Diagon Alley. He glanced back once, to see his father fending off two Death Eaters. Again, Alyssa came to the rescue, shouting, "_Petrificus Totalus!" _One Death Eater fell.

Mr. Potter sent them a swift, strained smile, before leaping to finish off the second Death Eater. The teens ran again.

Reaching the Leaky Cauldron, James haphazardly grabbed a fistful of Floo Powder, shoved his friends into the fireplace, squished in as well, and shouted, "Potter Estate!"

And they were gone.

X-X-X-X-X

"Drink this, dear," Mrs. Potter said very gently, holding a mug of hot tea to Alyssa's lips. "I imagine this has been terrifying for you."

"She was great – probably saved our lives with that stunning spell, and Dad's with the petrification spell," said James, giving her a shaky smile. "I hope everyone's okay."

Mrs. Potter gave him a tired look. "I hate to be a pessimist, but I'm sure there were casualties. They're going to need help at St. Mungo's…" She stood. "Take care of your friend." She left.

Sirius gripped Alyssa's shoulder gently. "Hey, at least we're safe. And so's your mum."

"I have an aunt at Diagon Alley…"

Sirius and James exchanged looks, just as Mrs. Potter bustled in. "I don't want you staying at the Estate alone." She handed Sirius a violently purple bag. "Floo Powder. Take it to Garnet Manor, or the Comforts Estate – wherever you want. But don't stay here, just in case. I want you where there are adults."

"Yes, Mum," said James dutifully. She nodded and quickly apparated. He glanced at Sirius, and they both nodded at Alyssa, who was watching them with a question in her eyes. "C'mon," muttered James. "Let's go find out where the others are."

X-X-X-X-X

The last thing Lily had been expecting was for James Potter to stumble from Janine's fireplace in what had been dubbed the 'Games Room,' sweaty and soot-streaked. Damien was the first there, to catch him. "What the-?"

"Death Eaters. Attack on Diagon Alley," he gasped, and was abruptly shoved out of the way as Alyssa flew out of the fireplace, followed by Sirius, who landed on top of her. "We barely got out in time," he explained. "Mum sent us over here while she went to St. Mungo's."

"Potter?" Everyone turned to Lily, whose look was thoughtful. "What do Death Eaters look like?"

"Long robes," said Sirius at once, gesturing with his arms. "Usually really tall, s'far as we can tell."

"They wear masks, so you can't see their faces," added James. "And the hoods shadow their faces, usually. And-"

Lily whirled to stare at Perry, but Janine cleared her throat loudly. Everyone stared at her. "Two o'clock!" she announced in a shrill voice. "Time for tea!"

But the moment she'd finished, Meg Garnet walked in. "Oh, there you are," she began, clearing her throat. "Tea's off, your father had to – oh, hello, James." She smiled warmly at the boys. "And Alyssa, too. And… Sirius Black?" Her eyes twinkled. "Fancy that. Never thought I'd see _you _around here." She smirked in her daughter's direction – to Lily's confusion, Janine was turning a violent shade of magenta. "I've heard a lot about you."

"Have you?" Sirius glanced quizzically at Janine. "What's she said?"

"Not much," said Perry cheerfully from the corner. "Mostly lots of complaining, about what a prat you are and all the stupid fights the pair of you have gotten into." He grinned. "Judging by the sounds of it, you bicker like an old married couple. Don't throw that at me!" he added quickly, whirling to face his sister. Janine's hand was inches away from a pillow on the couch.

Lily wanted to laugh, but her throat felt very dry, remembering that something very serious had just happened. "Mrs. Garnet, what's going on at Diagon Alley?" she questioned.

Janine's mother became grave quickly. "Well, it's over now," she said softly at last. "So far, the death toll is thirteen."

"_Thirteen!?"_

"Yes." Mrs. Garnet looked out the window – the snow was falling heavier now, much thicker. "No Death Eater casualties." She turned to her children and their friends. "I want you all to be very careful, with what you do, what you say, and whom you say it to. Our Masquerade will go on despite this – but it would be a prime time for Tom to attack with his Death Eaters." She left the room.

Lily looked inquisitively at Janine, who was staring after her mother. "Who's Tom?"

X-X-X-X-X

James pushed his potatoes around his plate with his fork, avoiding looking at his mother or his friend (his father was still at work). "Mum?" he finally asked, having plucked up the courage. She glanced at him, and James noticed that she hadn't touched her food either, although she didn't play with it as he did.

"Yes, James?"

"You went to school with Mr. and Mrs. Garnet, right?"

"Yes…" Her eyes were shrewd; her face set in a frown. Clearly, she didn't like the direction that this conversation was taking.

"Did you know anybody named Tom?"

_Smash._

Mrs. Potter had jerked involuntarily, and her hand had knocked into a crystal goblet of wine, sending it flying from the table and into the wall, crashing into thousands of glass splinters. James watched the red wine drip down the walls; saw Mrs. Potter call for a house-elf to clean it up; caught Sirius's eye.

He had touched a nerve.

"Yes, Biddy, thank you…" Mrs. Potter watched the elf magically vanish the stain and the glass shards. Then she turned to James. "No. I knew nobody by that name."

"You're lying."

"Don't take that tone with _me, _James Potter. You finish your dinner and go to bed. And that goes for you, too, Sirius." She cut her eyes at the other boy, who nodded meekly and buried his face in his food again. "I'm retiring now, James. Biddy, tell me when Edward arrives home."

"Yes, ma'am." Both Mrs. Potter and the elf left the room.

Sirius looked up from his now-empty plate, staring at James. "There's definitely something weird going on. Who's this 'Tom' character, anyway?"

X-X-X-X-X

_Flashback to Earlier in the Day_

"Who's Tom?"

"Tom… I don't know." Janine looked thoughtful, drumming her fingers on the couch arm. "She's never mentioned a 'Tom' before. Reckon we could find some old yearbooks in the library and take a look?"

"I guess," said Lily doubtfully. "Your mum was at Hogwarts about the same time as Professor McGonagall, right?"

"I think so. Maybe six or seven years younger – I can't really remember. Think she'd tell us if we asked?"

"She said 'Tom and his Death Eaters,' didn't she?" suggested Alyssa. "What about this Dark Lord character? Maybe it's-"

"No way," interrupted James. "Why would she call him Tom, then? I heard his name was Vol-"

"Don't say it!" said Perry sharply. Everyone stared at him. "Don't say it," he said again. "There'll come a time when few will dare to speak his name – and they will be either very brave or very foolish. That time is beginning now."

Lily frowned at him. "You know more, don't you?"

"Maybe."

"Want to share?" asked Jeffrey crankily from the corner.

"No. It's not my place to say."

"But-"

"Anyway, I don't know anything about this _Tom _fellow. I know other things. But not anything that'll be of use right now. If you want to know who Tom is, I suggest you ask Mum. Or Dad; he might know."

"Maybe it was someone who was with them at school," suggested Damien slowly, and then he looked to James. "Which would mean that your parents must've known him. Why don't you ask them?"

"I will," quickly promised James. He turned to Sirius and Alyssa. "Reckon it's safe to go home now?"

"You should probably wait until your mother comes," said Jeffrey in a business-like tone. "Anyway, all this speculation isn't getting us anywhere – we'll just have to ask later. But there's no on to ask right now, so we'll have to wait. And while we're waiting, is anybody up for a game of magical billiards?"

X-X-X-X-X

_Back in the Present_

"Hey, Janine?" Lily glanced at her friend, who was tugging her night shirt straight. "Perry's made some weird comments today. And every time I want to ask, you cut me o-"

"It's going to be lovely tomorrow. Goodness, I hope this snow continues – can you imagine what it would be like if it were snowing on Christmas morning? I imagine it'd be just wonderful."

"_Janine._ Tell me the truth. Who am I going to tell?"

"Fair point. All right, then." Janine sighed and flopped on her bed. "Perry fancies himself a Seer. I don't know if he _is _or not, but he clearly has _some _sort of talent. He can tell things before they happen. The thing is, he's wrong a lot of the time, so we stopped believing him after a while. Today, though…"

"You feel bad, because he told you and you didn't do anything about it?"

"Well, yeah. Our family knows to keep it all hushed up – we try to cover up the guilt, I suppose. Oh, Lily, you can't tell about his talents. Sometimes he's actually _right, _you know. Remember, he said 'I know everything'? He really _does _know everything. He knows more about people he's just met than their own parents do. He just… he just _knows…_"

"That's sort of scary."

"Yeah. He probably is reading our minds right now."

Lily shivered at the thought. "Let's talk about something else."

"Yeah." She gave Lily a weak smile. "Nice weather we're having, eh?" Lily laughed, but it was fake.

X-X-X-X-X

Marlene McKinnon sat in her small, muggle home, flipping absent-mindedly through channels. Her mother was a Muggle, but her father was a wizard. Both were probably asleep, but had allowed Marlene to stay up and wait for her brother.

Andrew McKinnon was an Auror, which meant that he was still out at 'work.' Which meant that something had happened, and he wouldn't tell Marlene _what._

As if he had sensed her thoughts, the door opened to admit him. He tossed his keys on the kitchen counter and flopped on the sofa beside Marlene. "Whatcha watchin', Marly?"

"Football." She showed him.

"Who's playing?"

"I don't know. I wasn't actually paying attention." With a sigh, she flipped the television off. "Will you tell me what happened _now?"_

"Death Eater attack at Diagon Alley." Marlene sucked in a breath. "Yeah, I know. It's pretty bad. Total death count: seventeen. Wounded… there's thirty-two, so far. I checked the casualty list." He touched her hair. "There were four kids; two Hogwarts students." After a moments' hesitation, he added, "One was a Muggleborn."

"Who were they?"

"The first one was eleven, I think… told me he was a Hufflepuff. That's the muggleborn kid. Grant something-or-the-other. The other one was a Ravenclaw, I remember them saying. Some fourth year. Can't remember her name."

Marlene didn't cry for people she didn't know, but she felt sad. "That's terrible. Who would do that?"

"The Dark Lord." He looked away. "Since about two years ago, the guy's been gaining popularity. People are afraid to say his name, nowadays." He sighed. "Be careful when you get back to Hogwarts, you hear?"

"I will be," Marlene swiftly promised, and said, "Andrew, d'you think I'll become an Auror?"

"I hope so. God knows the job is bloody annoying with nobody to make fun of all the time." He ruffled her hair. "You're sixteen, Marly. Don't think on it too hard – you've still got another year and a half before you enter the real world."

"Yeah," said Marlene, staring out the window. "Yeah, a year and a half…"

X-X-X-X-X

James drained his glass of water, ignoring Sirius as his friend impatiently tapped his foot against the tile floor. "I fail to see why _I _had to come down so _you _could get a glass of water."

"Don't be a prat. That was the excuse I gave the house-elves. Dad just got home – we're going to sneak up to my parents' room and hear what they have to say."

"What makes you think they'll say anything?"

"Are you kidding? Of course they'll want to talk. About this Diagon Alley business, and somewhere near the end, Mum will casually mention that we commented on this 'Tom' fellow, and then…"

"I think that Tom is You-Know-Who's name."

"You-Know-Who?"

"Well, you know… the Dark Lord."

"Why don't you just say his bloody name?"

"Because…"

"Because what?"

"They say he has ears everywhere… and he knows who you are, what you do, what you _say…_"

"God, Sirius, you make him sound like the bloody bogey man. Come on." James let his glass drop into the sink and the boys quickly and silently made their way to Mr. and Mrs. Potter's bedroom.

"…Know, Edward."

"Kat, you should have seen those kids' parents. Sobbing uncontrollably. This Dark Lord isn't like the rest… we should have known… he always was a bad sort."

"Eddy…"

"James asked about it, you say? Well, you know James. He's sixteen. He'll forget about it in the morning."

"I hope so."

"Of course he will. He's got more important things to worry about – like that what's-her-name… Evans? The redhead. The girl he's obsessing over…"

"Now, Eddy."

"I'm just saying. The boy's acting like a prat over this girl. Who is she, anyway? I've never even _seen _her…"

Now Mrs. Potter's voice became annoyed. "Well, if you occasionally came to pick your son _up…_"

Mr. Potter's voice took on a different tone. "Don't start with me, Kat. The Aurors need me there, especially nowadays. I'd love to spend more time with you and James – hell, even with Sirius, the poor kid – but I don't have time anymore. Once this war is over…"

"War?"

"It's getting serious, now, Kat. He isn't like the rest. It won't be that easy to get rid of him."

"Dumbledore can do it."

"Let's hope so." There was a loud yawning sound. "Come on, let's go to bed…"

"Edward? Do you really think James will forget about it so easily?"

"Of course he will. He's sixteen, and his head's full of teenage dreams… he won't even remember in the morning." The candles flickered out, and light stopped filtering through the crack at the bottom of the door. "'Night, Kat."

"Good night…"

Sirius and James exchanged looks. Both knew that they wouldn't be forgetting about 'Tom' anytime soon.

X-X-X-X-X

A/N: Sorry for being so long on the update, and thanks for all the awesome reviews! To compensate for the fact that I haven't updated since 10 days ago (upon reflection, that's really _not _all that long, but I won't keep you in suspense much longer, because I was mean and left it at a cliffhanger), I made this chapter extra-super-duper long! And then there's that whole thing where if I cut out the last scene, it wouldn't REALLY fit in with the next chapter. Speaking of which… Coming Up in the next few chapters: Christmas, the Garnets' Masquerade, James being fancied by a rather flirty mirror who insists that he's 'adorable and so yummy that she could eat him up with a spoon', who Janine's been snogging all this time, and then there's that OTHER person she's snogging (whom you don't know about yet, but you'll find out), another 'would-not'/'would-too' sort of conversation (although not between James and Sirius this time), Lily's meeting with Mrs. Morgan (Janine's rather stiff and bigoted grandmother who insists she ought to marry Fabian Prewett), and gasp! some competition for James! Plus much more… (depending on how much I like the chapter, that is, and what I feel like adding in…) Anyway, leave me lots of reviews and I'll be thrilled! The more reviews I get, the sooner I'll update…

Okay, so I explained the whole prefects-points thing in the last chapter. If you didn't catch it, go read the author's note at the end (Shame on you if you haven't! No life-size HP dollies for you! …Just kidding, really.) And now, to answer the note about vacation being three weeks and not two, here is my reply…

…Oops?

Okay, seriously, I _could _go back and change it, but I'm too lazy to. Maybe I'll do it later. I don't know. Depends on how crabby I'm feeling. (Which is actually sort of funny, because I'm a Cancer… you know, cancer the crab? Yeah, okay, stupid joke my dad used to make…)

And kudos to all my reviewers! I'm out of life-size Remus and Sirius dollies (sorry! Sorry, sorry, sorry!)… So I'll just have to give you life-size Draco Malfoy dollies, although Draco Malfoy isn't in this story… I'd give out Ron Weasley dollies or Oliver Wood dollies, but those are mine! MINE MINE MINE!!!

Okay, I'm done acting stupid and as though I've had too much sugar. Leave me reviews, and I'll love you forever! Peaches

Oh, and P.S.: If you haven't already, please-please-please check out my DHr story ("What It Takes")! I know I only have one chapter so far, and I _swear _that I'll update as soon as I get out of my writer's block slump… on that story, at least. So please go read "What It Takes," _and_ "Let Go" (complete! Starring Remus J. Lupin, our one and only werewolf…) Thanks much!


	13. Masked and Unmasked

Disclaimer: Characters and settings are property of J.K. Rowling. What you don't recognize is mine. And I _wish _I owned the Marauders (specifically Sirius and Remus, and, for a bit of variety, JAMES!) but most unfortunately, I do not. L

X-X-X-X-X

"Oy! James! Presents!" James blearily glanced up, and was quickly hit in the face with a box.

"Ouch! What'd you do that for?"

"It's Christmas, you great bloody prat!" James fumbled for his glasses and shoved them onto his face, glowering at Sirius, who was gleefully hopping on the bed, tossing presents around. "Get up and open your presents!"

James was awake, now. He grabbed the nearest package – _From Dad _– and ripped it open. It was a book – _Defensive Magical Theory_, by Wilbert Slinkhard. James's face fell – he'd heard of the book, and heard of how boring it was. "Oh. I was expecting something…"

"…That you wouldn't fall asleep in the middle of?" suggested Sirius, his voice muffled by chocolate. James stared at him. "Oh, you know it's a boring book." He swallowed; James pointed to his mouth. "Oh, the chocolate? From King."

"Ah. I guess she got me chocolate, then, too."

"I'll bet you she got Moony _lots _of chocolate. She has such an obvious crush on him, and Moony's so bloody oblivious… mooning over Comforts… hey! _Moony _is _mooning _over Comforts!" He burst into laughter.

James rolled his eyes. "That's not even funny."

Sirius stopped laughing and shot him a half-annoyed, half-hurt look. "Well, _I _think it's funny," he retorted indignantly, and stuffed another Chocolate Frog into his mouth.

"Yes, and you're the only one." Sirius was prevented from answering by a full mouth, so he contented himself with flicking James off.

James flipped his new book open, and his father's voice boomed throughout the room. "You great prat! You didn't _really _think I'd get you a bloody _book, _now did you?"

Almost at once, things began spouting from the book – Quidditch jumpers, a broomstick servicing kit, and all sorts of things – all having to do with Quidditch. When at last the book finished spouting things, it disappeared with a crack. James stared at his now littered-with-Quidditch-stuff bed. "Well," he said, slowly. "That was _some _present."

"You're right," said Sirius, looking injured. "I actually got a bloody _book!" _He held it up, and James fought to keep from grinning – Sirius _had _gotten a book, but it was a good book – _The Beaters' Bible_ – one of the few autographed editions. "Must've cost your dad a fortune," said Sirius, no longer looking injured. He flipped through the book and whistled. "This is _some _book!"

James dropped his new servicing kit and climbed off of his bed, going to where Sirius was seated on the floor, surrounded by his own presents. James's friends had often spent Christmases at his house, and it was something of a tradition that they all brought their gifts into James's bedroom and opened them there.

After getting over the initial awe of their first gifts, James and Sirius had set to work, tearing paper and opening their presents eagerly.

James had gotten many, many gifts – from family, friends, and admirers (mostly girls) – as had Sirius. Curious, James looked over to where Sirius was staring a Beater's bat in mint condition, signed by Kevin and Karl Broadmoor. "Whoa!" said James, staring. "They're the most famous Beaters _ever! _And they don't even play anymore! Who gave you _that?"_

"Oh, er…" Sirius flushed. "Nobody."

"Nobody my bloody _arse! _Signed by the Broadmoor brothers! You've got quite an admirer, Padfoot."

"Yeah," said Sirius, still flushing. "I guess so." His expression cleared as he found another small box, under all the wrapping paper. "Hey, I've got one more."

"Who's it from?"

"No idea – doesn't have a signature." He ripped the paper from the box and stared at what was inside – a tiny silver thimble. "What the bloody hell – OUCH!" Sirius howled in pain as the thimble suddenly grew and clamped onto his finger. He waved his hand around, swearing, trying to dislodge it.

Mr. and Mrs. Potter ran in, and several minutes later, Sirius was nursing a very swollen finger while Mr. Potter glowered at the cursed object, which was lying innocently on the floor. He snapped his fingers, and a house-elf appeared, gingerly picking it up. The thimble didn't attack it. "Take the bloody thing away," he snapped, and turned to Sirius. "Who gave that thing to you?"

At that moment, a slip of parchment floated to the ground, with two letters: _B.B._ "Figures," grumbled Sirius, sucking on his finger. "Only Bella would send me a cursed object. I hate her." He glowered at the parchment, which had suddenly lit on fire and crumpled into ash. "I hate my whole bloody family."

The Potters just exchanged looks.

X-X-X-X-X

"Get anything interesting, Lil?"

Lily glanced up, a half-opened box in her hand. "I haven't finished yet."

"Oh. Want to see what I got?"

"Why not?" Janine eagerly bounced into the guest room, her arms full of opened gifts. Lily saw a number of necklaces, bracelets, and earrings mixed among the junk she had piled in her arms.

They spent the majority of the morning going through their gifts and eagerly gushing over each other's. That is, until a late, quite harassed-looking owl flew in. It landed in front of Lily, hooting softly. "Whose owl is that?" asked Janine, searching through her box of Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Beans. Triumphantly, she held aloft a pink-and-white one. "Hah! Strawberry shortcake!"

Lily opened the card first, which bore the words:

_Dear Lily,_

_Sorry this is a bit late. I hope you like it._

_Happy Christmas,_

_James Potter._

_P.S. Go out with me?_

Scowling, Lily tossed the card aside, but nonetheless ripped the wrapping paper off of the gift, revealing a tiny wooden box with a golden clasp.

Lily opened it, and gasped softly – it was a tiny music box, with tinkling music. Inside was a golden pendant, shaped like a clover, embedded with diamonds and emeralds, hanging on a thin gold chain. She lifted it from the box, inspecting it.

"Bloody hell," said Janine, dropping the previously-dropped-by-Lily card. "He never gets _me _anything this nice!" She pouted. "He bought _me _a bloody Quidditch jumper that's the wrong size." She held it up – it could have easily fitted someone much smaller. "I suppose he must've been going by the size of my old _dolls…_"

Lily wasn't paying attention to her. She stared at the necklace for a few more moments, and then held it out wordlessly to Janine. Her friend took it, and Lily lifted her hair from her neck, and Janine fastened it. The pendant fell against her pale skin, and Lily examined it more carefully. "It's lovely," she decided at last. "Quite sweet, actually… I never would have thought he'd send me something like _this! _Every year, he used to get me books. This is so sweet of him! But why would he send me this…?"

"I know why. He probably wants something in return." Lily glanced up; her friend was grinning widely. Immediately, Lily grabbed a pillow and launched it at Janine, just as the other girl opened her mouth to make a (probably raunchy) comment. She missed, and Janine grabbed her own pillow and launched it at Lily.

Within moments, a fully blown pillow fight had broken out.

X-X-X-X-X

"What d'you think of this one?" Janine twirled on the stool, looking down at Lily, who was watching her with a disinterested expression.

"I think that we've been at this bloody-choosing-dresses-thing bloody long enough and that you should have bloody chosen your bloody dress sometime before the bloody afternoon before your bloody Masquerade. That's what _I _think."

"In that case, never mind." Lily sighed, and Janine gracefully stepped off of the stool evaluating her reflection in the full-length mirror. "Orange is not my color," she decided at last.

"We've been through at _least _fifteen dresses. How many bloody dresses do you have?"

"A lot."

Sighing, Lily fished a blue and gold dress at random from the pile and tossed it at her friend. Janine had tried it on long ago, but chances were that she wouldn't remember. "How about that one?"

Janine appraised it, rubbing her fingers over the fabric. Then she held it up to herself. "It's perfect," she decided.

"Janine! That was the third one you tried on!" cried Lily, exasperated.

"I'm surprised you can remember that far back," said Janine, holding it up to herself and twirling before the mirror. "You're a genius, Lily."

"I know that." Lily pulled a green and yellow dress from the pile. "I'm wearing this," she informed her friend firmly.

"Good. It'll look lovely with your eyes. Although I'll have to get one of the house-elves to shorten it, seeing as you're shorter than I am…"

Lily scowled at the slant to her height, and said, "You treat them like slaves."

"I do _not. _I treat them like house-elves."

"What's the difference?"

Janine ignored that, saying, "And don't scowl like that. Just because you're somewhat _more _than substandard in the height department…"

Lily seized a pillow from Janine's bed and chucked it at her friend. Predictably, she missed. Janine straightened up, grinning wickedly. Lily's hand cast around for another pillow, and then she decided it wouldn't be worth it. _I'd probably miss again, anyway…_

"Janine?" Damien poked his head around the door. "Remember, guests arrive at eight."

"So?"

"So it's six o'clock."

"_What!?" _Both Lily and Damien covered their ears as Janine's voice rose several octaves to an unnatural shriek. "It's six o'clock and nobody _told _me? How the bloody hell am I supposed to make myself beautiful in _two hours? _I mean, it's not like I _need _it, or anything – I'm bloody gorgeous as it is – but still, I need more than _two hours _to-"

"Tell me, is she always this conceited, or is it just around me?"

"It's not just you, don't worry."

"Pay attention to me!" Janine's shrill shriek caused them both to wince.

"We are paying attention to you," insisted Damien earnestly. Janine pouted. "We are!"

"No, you're not. Now, get out. I only have two hours – heavens, I don't know _how _I'm supposed to – out!" Damien disappeared quickly; the door snapped shut behind him. Janine turned imperiously to Lily. "You might want to use the guest bathroom." She was already making her way towards her own bath. "I'll be in there a while."

X-X-X-X-X

James yanked his shirt collar straight, and then turned to face his three friends, his arms widespread. Peter and Remus had arrived several days ago. "How do I look?"

"I think your first outfit was better," said Sirius without turning around. He was inspecting himself in the mirror. "Blimey," he said, smug. "I look _hot._"

His friends ignored this, and Remus asked, "What first outfit?"

James pulled on his golden vest and buttoned it. "The one I lost in Diagon Alley," he answered.

"Oh."

"Don't you think I look hot, Moony?"

"Shut _up, _Padfoot." Sirius grinned around at his friends, fiddling with the cuffs of his deep blue robes.

"Well, _I _think I look hot."

James ignored him, and looked in the mirror over his shoulder. "Ooh, you look absolutely _adorable, _Master James!" the mirror squealed. James grimaced. _'Adorable' was **not** what I was hoping for… Ruggedly handsome would have worked… or sexy… but not **adorable**…_

Nonetheless, he smiled at the mirror. "Thanks. Now let's all hope Evans thinks the same way."

"Oh, she _will, _Master James. Why, you look so yummy that I'd just eat you up in a spoon if I weren't a mirror!"

"This is creeping me out now," Peter decided loudly, just as Mrs. Potter decided that the boys had been getting ready for long enough.

"Are you ready to _go _yet?" she demanded, fussing with the lace collar at her throat. James gave her an honest smile.

"You look fantastic, Mum." To his surprise, she flushed a little.

"Thank you. Now, hurry up!" The door snapped shut.

Sirius grinned. "Gee, your mum takes compliments well. 'Thanks and hurry up.' That's nice."

"Shut up," said James, grabbing his wand and sticking it in his trouser pocket. Remus gave him a wary look.

"What're you bringing that along for? We're not allowed to do magic."

"Correction, we're not allowed to do magic in a _non-emergency _situation. If the Death Eaters are bold enough, this could very like turn _into _an emergency situation," pointed out Sirius, grabbing his wand. "Besides, first rule we learned in DADA 101 – always take your wand with you, no matter the circumstances."

Remus shrugged, and pocketed his. "Fair enough. All right, we'll take them with us." Remus spread his arms. "How do I look?"

"You'll knock Alyssa off her feet," offered Sirius with a wink. "The girl won't be able to resist you."

Remus turned away. "There are other girls."

"Don't be all sweet and understanding, Moony. She's nice enough, but she's a bit prejudiced against you. Not very fair, if you ask me."

"Janine told me it had something to do with her aunt."

"Which is one of the many questions we can ask Little Miss Prejudiced once we get there. What she has against werewolves."

"Okay." James gave Remus a wary look; it wasn't like his friend to go in without a fight. But there was a determined glint in Remus's eye, and James decided not to ask.

"C'mon, then," said James, casting a last look at his reflection before heading for the door. He took a deep breath. "Time to go."

X-X-X-X-X

"You look lovely, Miss…?"

"That's against the rules," said Lily, with a smile. "You're not allowed to ask my name." The brunet young man bowed. His mask hid most of his face, but Lily could nonetheless spot the dismay in his gray eyes.

"Of course. Would you dance with me?"

Lily swallowed, her throat suddenly dry. Janine and her family had spent agonizing hours trying to teach her to dance, but it hadn't taken very well. At long last, they'd taught her a few simple dances, and Lily had gotten the hang of it (sort of). Nonetheless, she still felt nervous.

But the man was holding out his hand, a question in her eyes. Taking a deep breath, Lily lightly slipped her hand into his, as she'd been told to do, and she curtsied. "I'd love to." And he swept her away.

Lily determinedly looked everywhere but at the man's face as they revolved slowly (he was leading.) She looked at the magical band, at the person she knew was Janine (she recognized the dress), at the food, and out the windows.

Anything not to look into his face.

"I won't bite, you know," he said, his voice amused. She glanced into his eyes, and then quickly averted them. Lily was more nervous that she'd ever been.

Before they'd gone downstairs, Janine had explained the "rules" to her. "Wear your mask all the time," she warned. "The Masquerade is anonymous, so you aren't going to know who you've danced with until the end of the Masquerade. All right?" Lily had nodded.

"And watch out," added Damien quickly. "This is usually an all Pureblooded event – we've had a few Half-bloods here and there, but never a Muggleborn before. Just a warning."

"Be really careful what you say," butted in Jeffrey. "Some of the Purebloods of the Wizarding World are really touchy. And a lot of them can tell what blood you are by the way you act."

"But if you follow what we've told you, you'll be fine," finished Janine, with a reassuring smile. Still, Lily wasn't reassured. They'd spent the entire holidays, giving Lily tidbits of advice. She'd never remember it all – even though the Garnets went over it all an hour before the Masquerade.

"You'll be fine," said Perry, with a grin.

"How d'you know?"

"I just do." He grinned even wider. "Remember, I know _everything._"

Somehow, this was more reassuring than anything else Lily had heard since arriving at Garnet Manor.

"…Miss?" Lily realized that she'd been ignoring her dance partner, who had long since let go of her hands and was bowing to her. Belatedly, Lily remembered she was supposed to curtsy, and so she did, wobbling a bit. The man seemed to accept it, and he walked off. Lily glanced across the room.

Janine was curtsying to a tall, blond man. Her curtsy didn't wobble an iota. Lily sighed.

"Dance with me?" Lily whirled, and faced another tall man. He was dressed in a resplendent golden vest and crimson trousers. Lily smiled anxiously, and he smiled kindly. "I won't bite. And you needn't worry. Nobody else would be able to tell you're not a Pureblood."

Lily's eyebrows shot up, but he had seized her hands and they were waltzing about the floor.

They stayed silent as they danced, staring at one another. This was the first time she'd managed to keep her eyes on her partner's face without looking away. Something about those hazel eyes was _very _familiar…

He pulled away and bowed as the song ended. Without waiting for her curtsy, he touched the new pendant at her throat, his fingers flitting over it. "Looks familiar," he remarked. Lily opened her mouth, and he vanished into the crowd.

It took her all of five seconds to realize whom she'd been dancing with.

X-X-X-X-X

James removed his golden and red mask, wiping perspiration off of his upper lip. _I think I handled that well, _he thought.

He glanced to where the redhead in the green and gold was still looking for him, and a thought unbidden sprung into his mind.

_I wonder if she thinks I look adorable and yummy…_

Hearing a sound, James turned, and froze. Somebody was _behind _the curtain. His fingers itched to pull back and see who it was, but a hand gripped his arm. James half-turned, and recognized Remus's elaborate peacock-like mask.

"Don't," he whispered.

"Why?"

"You'll just embarrass them." James grinned.

"That's the point, isn't it?" His hand lunged out and yanked the curtain away. And James froze, again, and his jaw dropped, while Remus smirked knowingly.

Janine and Sirius were snogging in a manner that, in James's opinion, should have been made _quite_ illegal. (He could tell who it was, because both of their masks were hanging from one of Sirius's hands.) "Well," said Remus slowly, "I'd rather expected them to be embarrassed, but apparently not." Janine turned and gave them both an irritable look (Sirius was now busy kissing her neck.)

"Do you _mind?" _she demanded tartly. Remus grinned, pulled the curtains back to hiding them, and dragged his friend away.

"You knew," accused James, as soon as they were far enough away that they wouldn't be heard. Remus grinned.

"Obviously. How did you not figure it out? They were always disappearing at the same time… and didn't you ever listen to him? He kept dropping hints – we were just too stupid to figure it out."

"What are you talking about?"

"_She used to hate me. _Weren't you listening to him? **_Used to_**. And they're always disappearing off… usually around the same time. Honestly, I'm actually rather surprised that it took us all this long…"

"I thought they hated each other," said James, still feeling shocked. "It never occurred to me that that might have changed."

"Obviously not." Remus picked up a glass filled with a sparkling pink liquid from a nearby table and looked at it. "Champagne," he said, sniffing it. "I wonder if they'll notice if we drink it even though we're underage?"

"Probably not," said James, and Remus finished the glass in one gulp. "Don't have too much," he added slowly. "You might be sick."

"Yes, I don't think the Garnets would appreciate it if I threw up all over their nice ballroom, would they?" Remus set his glass down.

"Probably not," said James again, searching for Lily once more. When he turned back to ask if his friend had seen her, Remus was gone.

X-X-X-X-X

"…No thank you," Lily politely declined. She airily fanned herself. "I'm a bit tired… perhaps another time…" The disappointed young man walked away, but was soon whisked off by another partner.

Lily sighed and half-turned when Janine fell into a seat beside her, flushed and panting. "Have fun?" she asked with a smile.

"You have _no _idea," she said, grinning. She took a glass of champagne from a nearby waiter and handed one to Lily. "Nobody has to know," she said mischievously.

Feeling bold and rebellious, particularly since she had a mask on, Lily clinked her glass against Janine's. "Cheers," she said, downing hers quickly. Setting it aside, she said, "I thought you hated the waltz."

"What makes you think I was waltzing?"

Lily frowned. "Who were you with?"

"You wouldn't believe me if I told you."

"Yes, I would!"

"No, you wouldn't."

"Would too!"

"Would not!"

"Would too!"

"Would not!"

"Would not!"

"Would t- hey!" Lily grinned. Janine stuck her tongue out at her friend. "That was _cheating!"_

A hand gripped her arm, and Janine turned. Jeffrey pushed up his mask a bit, so his sister could recognize him. "Yes, I know I'm not supposed to push my mask up," he said irritably, "but Grandmother's here. She wants to see you." He glanced at Lily. "_And _you."

"What?"

"She wants very much to meet – and I quote – 'Janine's fashionable friend, Lily.'"

"Am I fashionable?"

"She certainly seems to think so. Or at least, she said that Lily sounded like a very fashionable name." Jeffrey clapped her on the arm. "Good luck," he said. "Because you'll need it," he threw over his shoulder as he walked away.

Janine and Lily exchanged looks. Janine gave her a friendly clap on the shoulder, as Jeffrey had done. "Well, it was nice knowing you."

X-X-X-X-X

A/N: Um, right. There's the update. Seems my chapters are getting progressively longer, aren't they? Well, I hope you like it – I had a lot of fun writing this chapter. Then again, I've had a lot of fun writing this STORY… sorry it takes so long. I'm doing my best, really, but I'm in the middle of finals. No worries – tomorrow is my last one, and then I'll have a week or two before my parents whisk me away until… like, August. You might get a few updates between end of/mid-June and the beginning of August. We'll see how it plays out.

Some of the stuff for upcoming chapters has been put in: we finally know who Janine's snogging, and for those of you who guesses Sirius… good for you! I didn't think it was that hard, but hey. And for those of you who guessed James… actually, that's a perfectly logical guess, but I wouldn't be _that _mean. Janine had her chance with him fourth year (remember?). Now I'm saving him for _Lily._ So. I've put in the first person Janine's snogging (you find out the other one next chapter), Christmas, the start of the Garnet's Masquerade, the flirty mirror, "would-not/would-too" conversation, and a few other things…

For the next couple of chapters: Janine's grandmother – that's going to be FUN to write – a little bit of L/J action, which, unfortunately, is not well-received by our favorite redhead, competition for James, the _other _person Janine's snogging, and the _other-other _person she's snogging (No, I'm kidding, she's not THAT much of a flirt), and – hopefully – a bit of insight into my other characters, as I've only been focusing on Lily, James, and Janine (which is unfair, I need to give my other OC's some attention – I'm bad, so sue me). Oh, and more upcoming thing – a nice, fun, cheerful confrontation between Sirius and his wonderful family (right, I was being sarcastic there if you didn't get that), plus things begin to heat up – not romantically, action-ly – we get a very confrontational confrontation between some Gryffindors and Slytherins, and we also get to see - gasp - TONKS! YES! WHOOHOO! (If you're not a Tonks lover, shame on you… I'm writing a fic with Tonks as the main character, but you'll have to wait for it until I'm way ahead in this fic, sorry L).

And I'll try to accelerate things a bit. I'm well aware that this story is going slowly… so I'm really TRYING to develop a plot. Really, I _am _trying! I swear.

Kudos to my reviewers – Life-size… er… life-size… hmm… what yummy-licious male character dollies do I have left? Let's see… we've done Oliver Wood… Sirius… Remus… Draco… Ron(MINE!)… Have we done Harry or James? Right! Life-size Harry and James dollies to my reviewers! (And if there are guys out there, you can have a Lily dolly, if you want…)

Oh, and just because I absolutely ADORE them to death – life-size dollies of Brad Pitt as Achilles, Orlando Bloom as Paris, and Eric Bana as Hector dollies! WHOOHOO!

Sorry, I was on a bit of a sugar high. I'm calm now. REVIEW, PLEASE! LOTS AND LOTS OF REVIEWS MAKE ME HAPPY (EVEN IF YOU REVIEW MORE THAN ONCE, I DON'T REALLY CARE, IT MAKES ME HAPPY!)

Wow… just pulled a Harry from OotP there… you know, because he's a very angry sort of person in that book? Right, well I adored him… _finally _has more of a personality… Okay, my rambles are done. Kudos!

3 Peaches 3


	14. Confrontations of the Slytherin Kind

Disclaimer: Characters and settings are property of J.K. Rowling. What you don't recognize is mine. And I _wish _I owned the Marauders (specifically Sirius and Remus) but most unfortunately, I do not.

X-X-X-X-X

James watched as the emerald-and-yellow figure and the blue-and-gold figure made their way to a formidable-looking witch in stately navy blue robes. She lowered her snowy white mask to peer at the two girls, and James saw the girls push their masks up on their foreheads. He saw Janine curtsy, and Lily try to imitate a curtsy. She wobbled; he laughed to himself.

"What's so funny?" Sirius appeared at his side, pulling his collar a bit higher (possibly to hide marks, but James didn't know).

"Lily. She can't curtsy at all."

"And that's funny because…?"

"Never mind." James cocked his head. "What d'you suppose they're talking about?"

"I dunno. Never met Janine's grandmother."

"Which reminds me. You and Janine, eh?"

"Yep."

"So _you're _the one she's been disappearing off to snog… never would've guessed it."

"Bit surprising, yeah? But she's not always coming to see me. I figure there's another bloke she wanders off with, but I'm not particularly upset."

"Why?"

"Because we agreed. 'No strings attached.' Basically, I'm free to snog anybody I want." He grinned at James. "But I don't think I can fit you into my schedule; sorry." James ignored that comment.

"I just have to ask. How?"

"How what?"

"_How? _As in, _how _did you guys get together?"

"It's a bit of a stupid story, really…" Sirius snatched a champagne glass and downed it in one gulp. "This is good stuff. Even though it's pink."

"Get on with it!" said James impatiently.

"Right, right. So after my suspension, yeah? I come back, and… well, I've felt pretty damn bad about the whole… well, you know, incident." James nodded. "I found Janine in the halls one night – I promised not to rat on her and all, and I think I was quite nice – and she just sort of glared at me. I felt _really _bad then, and dragged her into a nearby classroom and told her to hit me."

"_What?"_

"Yeah, sounds stupid in retrospect, I guess, but it seemed like a good idea at the time. I said that I didn't want her to go around being _extra _venomous towards me, because it'd raise suspicions, so I told her to vent her anger and punch me in the face. She kind of stared at me, and I told her I was completely serious – no pun intended."

"And she was so touched by your… I don't know what the quality's called, but whatever it is, she was touched by it, and she threw her arms around you, you kissed, end of story?"

"Er… no."

"So what happened, then?"

"Well, she kept on staring at me, and I was just about to give up, when next thing you know – Smack! She punched me in the nose." He rubbed his nose in remembrance. "Then she proceeded to beat me up – did a pretty thorough job of it, too. Of course, it helped that I didn't fight back."

"You're joking, surely."

"Actually, no. After I was all bloody and bruised, and she was worn out, she kind of sat next to me on the floor, said thanks, and then helped me up. We did some bandaging, sat there for half an hour so we could fabricate a story about why I looked like such crap, and then we were going to leave, and, well, I kissed her."

"And?"

"She let me. It took us a full hour to get up _one _floor – we kept finding empty classrooms and broom closets you know… anyway, we walked into the common room at about three in the morning, and Marlene McKinnon was waiting for us. Knows some good healing charms, that girl. We made her swear not to tell, and, well… I guess she didn't."

"You got together because she hit you." James looked amused. "That's original."

"Isn't it, though?" Sirius grinned. "Let's sneak a bit closer and see what the grandmother is up to."

X-X-X-X-X

_Meanwhile_

"So, you're Lily, are you?" Mrs. Morgan's eyes were a sharp blue, and she looked Lily up and down critically.

"Yeah." Janine stepped on her foot, _hard. _"I mean, _yes._"

"Hmph. What's your surname, girl?"

Lily swallowed. "Evans."

Mrs. Morgan frowned. "Evans," she repeated, and her eyes flicked to Janine before going back to Lily. "I have never heard of that surname. Is your family English?"

"Yes, they are," said Lily quietly. "But we're Muggleborns, you see, so I doubt you'd have heard of us before."

Mrs. Morgan had suddenly seemed to get a pinched look about her face, but she nodded stiffly. "I see."

Lily clenched her hands into fists, but said nothing. Mrs. Morgan whirled on Janine. "She's a friend of mine," said Janine with a glower. "In Gryffindor," she added, in a loud voice. "Like all my _other _friends. Like me. You know?"

Her grandmother's lips curled. "A Gryffindor." Her voice was cold. "What a shame." Lily wanted very much to ask what _that _was supposed to mean, but someone interrupted them first.

"Excuse me…" They all turned, and saw a young man standing there. He was dressed entirely in black, from his hair, to his mask, to his shoes. "Might I have this dance?" he inquired, holding a hand out to Janine.

She paused, staring at him, and Mrs. Morgan said haughtily, "If you haven't noticed, we're in the middle of a conversation, boy, and it's rude to interrupt. Take off your mask." He did; Lily gasped. It was _Snape_.

He actually looked quite good, when she thought about it. His hair was pulled into a short ponytail at the back of his neck, and his eyes were a deeper than she'd imagined – black, like bottomless pits. But they held no warmth; Lily shivered. He turned those eyes on her, and then they flicked back to Janine and rested on her.

"A Snape," said Mrs. Morgan imperiously, although she was smiling. "Now _this _is a young man of caliber. Go dance with him, Janine. Leave me with your _darling _friend, Lily."

Janine looked like she very much did not want to do that, but she took Snape's hand and he led her away. The moment they were far enough away that they couldn't be heard, she leaned over and hissed something in his ear. He winced, and nodded.

Lily wished she could hear them, but she needed all her concentration focused on the stern old lady before her. "So," said Mrs. Morgan in an icy voice. "You are a Muggleborn, and you are a Gryffindor. I must admit that I am quite… surprised."

"Might I inquire why?" Lily was proud of herself for that statement. It sounded just a bit polite, just a bit curious, and just a bit – a very _little _bit – sarcastic. Perfect.

Mrs. Morgan didn't think so. "I had rather hoped that she'd make friends with our kind," she said stiffly, and then changed tactics at once. "I understand you are quite clever."

Lily wished she were wearing jeans, so that she could stuff her hands in her pockets. They had grown cold, very suddenly. "I suppose you might say that."

"Then why aren't you in Ravenclaw?"

"The Sorting Hat told me I was too opinionated to be in Ravenclaw, and was better off in Gryffindor."

Mrs. Morgan's nostrils flared. "Opinionated." Lily grit her teeth. Janine's grandmother seemed to have a penchant for repeating what people said, but she somehow managed to make it sound insulting.

"That's right," said Lily, no longer bothering to be polite. Her mother had always taught her to respect her elders, but this was taking it a bit far. "I'm very opinionated."

"I see."

_STOP SAYING THAT! _Lily thought angrily. She crossed her arms over her chest. Mrs. Morgan's eyes narrowed at the gesture, but she said nothing. "Well," she said at last. "I'm afraid it is my duty to inform you that-"

"Hello, Mrs. Morgan." Never before had Lily been grateful for James Potter and Sirius Black's presence. (She recognized James by his outfit and figured that the other dark-haired boy _had _to be Sirius). In fact, she never would have thought she ever _would _be, but miracles were known to happen in the magical world. James gave Janine's grandmother his most charming smile, which she rather stiffly returned. "My friend Sirius here would very much like to ask Lily to dance. Would you mind?"

"Not at all, James." Her eyes rested on Sirius, and she questioned, "Are you, by any chance, the Sirius that Orion Black told me about when I met him in Diagon Alley?"

"Yes." Sirius's answer was terse – Lily was feeling quite gleeful. It was perfect. It appeared, by the way Mrs. Morgan sniffed snobbishly, that she didn't think much of _Sirius, _either. Lily suddenly liked him more. Sirius offered her his hand, and she quickly took it, remembering to dip into a lopsided curtsy before doing so. Mrs. Morgan scowled as James hid his sniggers behind his hand. Sirius whisked her off.

He gave her a friendly smile when they were far enough away. "You looked like you needed saving," he explained. "We were planning to stand off to the side and eavesdrop, but when she started off with 'I'm afraid it's my duty to inform you,' we decided it was time to intervene."

"Thank you," she replied honestly. Then her smile turned wry. "This is a one-time thing, Black. You're not allowed to go off saving me all the time like that, or I might just end up _owing _you something."

Sirius grinned. "You could kiss James, if you _really _want to make it up."

Lily's smile dropped off her face. "What are you, his personal promoter?" she asked acidly. "It figures that he'd send you out here to try and make him look good for me."

"I'm not trying to make him look good!"

"Yes, you are. And it's not working, by the way."

"I'm _not _trying to! I was just commenting. He didn't even send me out here." He grinned. "He just made me go because he said he'd already _had _his dance." _I knew it was him! _Lily thought triumphantly, although she wasn't particularly sure what she was so triumphant about.

Suddenly, Sirius's eyes blazed. "I must be seeing things."

Lily quickly spun him around (out of time to the music), and glanced over his shoulder. Janine and Snape were dancing – perhaps a bit closer than was necessary – and were talking. She was smiling and nodding her head; Snape was giving her a tiny smile in surprise. Lily's eyebrows shot up. _He actually looks **handsome** when he smiles!_

Sirius was making a low growling noise in his throat. Lily glanced at him. "What's the matter with you?"

"She's dancing with _Snape!" _he ground out. "Of all the bloody people… I _knew _she was snogging someone else, but I never expected _him…_"

"What d'you mean, snogging someone _else?" _Sirius stared at her. It took Lily almost two full minutes to realize what he was insinuating. "Wait a second! You and _her?" _She turned to stare at Janine. "Bloody _hell…_ that was the _last _thing I expected…"

"She didn't tell you?" he asked, as the next song started. It was much slower than the last, and Sirius's hands slipped around her waist. Lily felt herself growing flushed in the cheeks at the proximity, but she didn't pull away. She was too curious to move.

"No, she didn't. How long has this been going on?"

"Just over a month."

_Over a month… _"Since the incident with Remus, Snape, and the Whomping Willow?" He nodded stiffly. "How?"

He laughed shortly. "Funny, that's what James asked. It's a bit of a stupid story, really… you probably don't want to hear it…"

"Actually, I do."

He made a face. "Fine, then." He ducked his head to whisper in her ear, and Lily felt herself growing even hotter, all the more acutely aware of their _uncomfortably _close proximity. Lily only half-listened as he told her the story, and she was part relieved and part disappointed when he pulled back. Over his shoulder, Lily saw Janine dancing with James. James was keeping a close (and slightly irritated) eye on his best friend and crush. "And that's how it happened." Sirius's voice drew her from her mind.

Sirius was still very close, and she could see how clear his gray eyes were. She'd heard girls swoon about his rugged good looks, of course, but she'd never observed closely enough to notice how right they were. _Do not kiss him. He is snogging and/or dating Janine, who is your best friend. His best friend has a crush on you. Do not kiss him. Do **not** kiss him…_

She kissed him.

It was not, by any account, Lily's first kiss. She'd even awkwardly kissed Remus once, in the fourth year (that was a secret she'd take to the grave), not to mention a few boys before that. On the other hand, they'd been brief, not very romantic kisses, because most boys were too sensible to let it go on, fearing with James and his cronies would do to them if they were caught kissing "James's Girl," as she'd been dubbed in the fourth year (a name she very much hated and had tried – unsuccessfully – to get rid of).

In any case, those kisses were nothing compared to this. Lily knew that Sirius was as experienced as she was naïve, but kissing him was… something else.

For a moment, he seemed to stiffen and freeze, and then his hold on her waist tightened, and Lily could feel the warmth emanating from his body, and she was drowning in those lips. She opened her mouth under his, and she tilted her head a bit for a better angle, getting dizzier by the moment – things might have continued, were it not for…

Sirius wrenched away from her, panting very hard, although he was still closer than an ordinary friend would be. His gray eyes were so hectic and wide that they almost appeared to have traces of blue in them. "You realize that James is going to kill me," he hissed.

"Yes," said Lily, a bit disconcerted. She glanced over his shoulder and met furious hazel eyes. "He looks murderous."

"You mean he's _watching!?"_

"Well, yes. He's about ten feet away… oh, dear, now it's about eight… seven…"

Sirius whirled suddenly, reluctantly detaching his arms from around her waist. He gave James a flustered grin. Janine was behind him, but she looked supremely unconcerned – in fact, she rather looked as though she found the whole situation very funny. Judging by James's look of fury, he didn't.

James had only just opened his mouth to say something – possibly to yell at Sirius – when a smooth voice interrupted them. "Oh, dear… did cousin Siri make his friend Jimmy mad?"

Lily whirled, and she saw, from the corner of her eye, Janine pull her wand from somewhere within the folds of her dress – _where was she hiding THAT?_ – and point it at Bellatrix Black, a scowl fixed on her face. "What're _you _doing here?" she asked rudely.

Lily knew it was Bellatrix from her voice, but she wondered how the other girl recognized Sirius and James – after all, they were wearing masks.

Bellatrix waved a cream-colored card with scripted, golden writing on its front. The gold reflected in the light of the ballroom. Lily glanced around – a few nearby people were watching them, but not many, which was fortunate. _Let's keep it that way and not start a scene, _pleaded Lily within her mind. No such luck. "I was invited, _darling,_" Bellatrix said with a smirk. "All purebloods are invited, _remember?" _Janine looked away, feigning disinterest. "Of course, that _does _make me wonder why there's a _Mudblood _here…"

Several things happened at once. James yanked out his wand, a hex on his lips; Janine lunged forward. Sirius got there first, knocking Bellatrix to the ground and causing her dress to rip. She shrieked – now _everybody _was paying attention.

James and Janine pounced; Rodolphus Lestrange (an ex-Slytherin who'd graduated three years before), and his younger brother, Rabastan, also jumped in. Lily barely managed to grab a hold of Regulus Black's arm to prevent him from jumping in, too – he swiped her off with an angry snap of, "Piss off, Mudblood!"

It took several minutes for the adults to keep more teens from joining the fray. At long last, someone had the presence of mind to wade directly into the fray and pull them all apart, pushing them this way and that, forcing them to break up and nurse minor injuries.

"What are you _doing?" _hissed Janine's oldest brother, Lyon. Lily recognized _him _by his voice, although, admittedly, it had never sounded so angry to her ears, even when he _had _been Head Boy. "Are you out of your minds?"

Mr. Garnet stormed over, his face set angrily. "Stop!" His normally genial voice was sharp and stern. "How _dare _you fight like this?"

Janine and James – both sporting matching black eyes – hung their heads, embarrassed. Sirius sulked off to the side; the Lestrange brothers were nursing minor injuries. Bellatrix, possibly in the worst condition of them all, was clutching her hand – Lily had _thought _she'd heard a crack.

It took Mrs. Garnet and Mrs. Potter approximately three minutes to heal everything. Mr. Potter was watching them all with a stern look. "I think," he said, very slowly, "that it's time we removed you lot from the Masquerade. Perhaps, next year, you'll all be mature enough to handle it."

They were herded off to rooms – _separate rooms_, Slytherins to one side, Gryffindors to the other – and locked in. Lyon scowled around at them all. "Oh, _honestly,_" he began in a disgusted voice.

"Save it," interjected Janine wearily. "All right?" He sneered at her and slammed the door shut, locking it securely.

Janine settled herself on a couch, touching the area around her eye. "Fine mess we've gotten ourselves into," she grumbled.

X-X-X-X-X

"I'm going to kill you."

"I'm sorry! She kissed _me, _first! I wasn't going to pass up a perfectly good snog!"

"I'm going to kill you."

"You wouldn't pass up the chance if _Janine _kissed you, would you?"

"I'm still going to kill you."

"I _said _I was sorry!"

"I don't care. You're dead. They'll never find your remains. Ever."

"Whatever." Sirius glowered at Lily. "Maybe you ought to keep a tighter leash on her, Prongs. Then she _won't _go around kissing random blokes."

"You're dead," James repeated. Sirius groaned and stuffed his face into a pillow.

Across the room, Lily watched the exchange. "Oh, dear. I hope they're not going to start another fight. We'll get in even _more _trouble."

"Mmm-hmm." Janine was staring out the window, watching the snow flutter to the ground outside. "Think they'll shove the others in here with us?"

"I hope so. You're more boring than a flobberworm right now. Are you mad because I kissed him?"

"Not particularly, no. We _did _agree on not having a commitment to each other, after all. He can snog whoever he wants; I can snog whoever I want."

"I think that's a bit… morally unsound. To the people you're snogging, that is."

"Too bad for them, then." Lily rolled her eyes. "Although I admit kissing Sirius was a bit stupid of you. Especially with James looking on."

"Oh, you mean it's okay if James isn't watching, then?"

"What he doesn't know won't hurt him."

"That's icky."

"Icky?"

"Morally unsound."

"Oh." There was a long silence, and then Janine said. "That's the first time you've called him James. Hm."

"Hm what?"

"Nothing. Just 'hm.'" Janine sat up, pulling her hair out of its pile on top of her head. Curls fell around her face in tumbles. "So how did your chat with my grandmother go?"

"Not well. I don't think she liked me."

"I figured as much. Don't worry about what she says – I don't like her much, either. In fact, I don't even think my mother does." She paused. "And you really oughtn't to feel bad about her not liking you. She doesn't like most people. You should hear the way she talks about my _father._"

"That bad?"

"You have no idea. She doesn't like anybody; nobody can stand her. Grandmother just stalks around, insulting my dad and my brothers – you heard her in the letter, didn't you? She believes that witches were created for the sole purpose of making the lives of wizards easier and more comfortable. Her philosophy of life is that witches and wizards are born to get married right out of school and procreate. The woman must be the perfect housewife; the man must go to work in the morning, come home in the evening, kiss his wife on the cheek, ruffle his children's hair, sit down to eat dinner, say goodnight to his children, let the wife tuck them into bed, read the newspaper until ten or so, then go to bed. The whole process repeats itself the next day."

"Ick."

"In a morally unsound way?"

"No. Just… _ick._"

"But not icky?"

"No, it's pretty icky, too. Just not morally unsound."

"What the bloody hell are you _talking _about?" The girls glanced up at Sirius and James.

Janine gave them both a cheery smile. "The difference between 'icky' and 'morally unsound.'"

"Why would you talk about that?" James asked.

"Why not?"

Sirius glanced at his friend. "She has a good point."

"Oh, that reminds me!" said Lily, suddenly. Everyone stared at her, and she glanced at Janine. "I saw you dancing with Snape. You're not… er… snogging him, are you?"

"Eurgh!" she squealed, which, in her three friends' opinions, pretty much summed it up. "No! Of course not!"

"Well, you _must _be snogging somebody else," said Sirius sensibly. "You're not _always _with me, you know."

"Oh, for heaven's sake – I went off with Andy Cobalt a few times, all right?" She glowered at Sirius. "And _you're _not allowed to get mad at me, because you were snogging Miss 'That's Morally Unsound' over there…"

"Oh, so you _were _off with Andy Cobalt?" asked Lily curiously. "And I thought that was just a ruse to throw us off track…"

"It was only a few times!"

"Let me see if I get this straight," said James slowly. "So, you're dating Andy Cobalt, but you're also snogging _Sirius?"_

"Now _that's _morally unsound," said Lily, nodding her head.

"Erm… no. I'm _not _dating Andy Cobalt. We _were _studying together. He probably thinks we're going to be dating sometime soon. I ought to tell him that it won't be happening, though…"

"Now that's _really _morally unsound."

"Lily, shut up. I don't think I've done _anything _morally sound in the past few years."

"Good point; you haven't," said James.

"Not that _you'd _know what morally sound is, Potter," added Lily with a disgusted scowl.

"Whereas snogging my best mate at a whim while I've got a crush on you is morally sound?"

"I didn't _ask _you to have a crush on me. And anyway, your 'best mate' is extremely good-looking."

"Which is why I snog him," interjected Janine cheerfully.

"Like that's the only reason… you know you're attracted to my charm," said Sirius with a winning smile.

"No, really. It's because you're good-looking, honestly."

Janine was spared from his answer by a diversion, provided by James and Lily. "You know, Evans, I really can't believe you kissed him," said James thoughtfully. "What's wrong with me?"

"You're a prat."

"What, and he's not?"

"Oh, thanks _a lot, _James." Sirius pretended to look injured.

"Don't feel bad," said Janine, patting Sirius on the shoulder. "There's nothing wrong with being a nice, healthy prat."

"Why doesn't that make me feel better?"

"I mean, really," continued James, ignoring Sirius. "I'm really as good-looking as he is, and I'm a better kisser, too."

"I don't _really _want to know how you found that out," commented Janine casually. James ignored her, too.

"Look, I'll show you."

"Potter, don't you d- mmph!" James had pressed his mouth to his. Sirius smirked as Janine hit her forehead. "Here it comes," she muttered.

_SLAP. _"Potter! You – you rotten, filthy – how _dare _you – I mean – Eurgh!"

James rubbed his red cheek. "I am a better kisser, you know," he told her sincerely. She glowered.

"Actually, you're not," said Janine slowly. "I've kissed you both before, and I really do think Sirius is better."

"See! There's another reason that you snog me!"

"Yes, but it's got nothing to do with your charm, Sirius."

Lily sighed, deciding that her three classmates must've had too much champagne. She wanted to have another go at Potter's face – possibly break his nose this time, _damn it, _that was the _third _time he'd kissed her in the month and a half–

Fortunately for James, the doors opened and caught Lily's attention.

A door opened, and several more people were forcibly shoved inside. The door snapped shut with a grumbled of, "Damn kids." It had sounded like Mr. Garnet.

Five newcomers stood, staring at the other four for a long moment. Then the first witch removed her mask and glowered around at all of them out of hazel eyes.

"Thanks a lot. I was dancing with a really good-looking bloke, you know!" seethed Jen.

Janine ignored her remark, grinning. "I was wondering when you lot would show up."

X-X-X-X-X

Mrs. Potter and Mrs. Garnet entered the room some hours later. Their faces were stern. "I hope you lot learned your-" began Mrs. Potter, and she stopped. Only Sirius, who was giving them a cheeky grin, was awake. James was sprawled messily along a sofa – in a rather uncomfortable position, too. He was snoring loudly enough to wake the dead, and his head was shoved up against Lily's thigh. Lily, who was sleeping with her chin propped up in one arm, scrunched to one side of the sofa, scowling. It was clear that they'd fought each other for the sofa. It was also clear that James had won.

Janine was flopped in a squishy armchair, and Remus was leaning against one of the arms, his hair falling about his face. Peter and Jen were curled up on the floor, and Alyssa was sound asleep in the window seat. Marlene had scrunched up in the other squishy armchair, her mask shoved onto her head, tangling in her hair.

Sirius grinned at both adults. "I bet them all that I could stay awake the longest. And I won, too!" he added gleefully. Mrs. Potter rolled her eyes while Mrs. Garnet shook her head, amused.

X-X-X-X-X

A/N: Right, there's the update! Aren't you proud of me? Got it out very quickly, if I do say so myself! I'm trying to make my chapters longer. As you can see, there's a lot of useless banter in this chapter – well, I was reading Cassie Claire's Draco Sinister – for the umpteenth time – and I was in a rather silly mood for stupid comments from the peanut gallery in the middle of what should have been a fight between Lily and James, which would mostly consist of Lily's raging and James's smirking… (By the way, if you didn't catch that, the "peanut gallery" is Janine and Sirius). I think I've filled most of the promises I made in the author's not of the last chapter – except the part about applying more depth to my other characters. I'm still working on that. I was _going _to add a part where Sirius meets his family, as in his PARENTS, not just Bella and Regulus – but I decided that the chapter was long enough. I'll try and fit it in in the upcoming future. We'll see what I can do about it. I also had initially planned on making the conversation between Mrs. Morgan (that's Janine grandmother, for those of you who HAVEN'T figured it out yet) and Lily funnier, not to mention longer, and, well, more confrontational, but I decided not to. I figured Mrs. Morgan would be one of those people who quietly disapproves of Lily, although she doesn't voice it aloud in front of her daughter and grandchildren – although, from the looks of things, she would have, were it not for a little Marauder intervention. As for the Lily/Sirius action… I had no idea why I added that. It's probably because I wanted James to have to fight for Lily's affection_… _besides, it also gave a reason for Bellatrix to come up and taunt her cousin. Also, if Lily has a crush on Sirius (don't worry, it won't last), it gives James an even bigger reason to want her – because he wants to prove to Lily that he's not a scumbag, and that if she can like Sirius, she can like him. Besides, it only enhances Sirius's reputation as the ultimate sex god, dontcha think? :)

Oh, yeah, another thing – if you haven't seen PoA in the theaters – I went and saw it the day it came out with my friends – GO SEE IT! I liked it, although they left out some important stuff – you'll see what I mean if you go watch the movie. I'll give Tom Felton this – he was FUNNY as Draco. The parts with him in REALLY cracked me up, particularly the encounter with Buckbeak, his encounter with Hermione, and also the drawing – if you've seen the movie, you know what I'm talking about. If you haven't… well, you ought to already know about the Buckbeak and the Hermione things, and the drawing isn't critically important or anything… so I see no reason to put a spoiler warning for this part. Anyway, that's my rant – go see it anyway. The trio are more like _real _teenagers, not the idealized version of them. GO SEE IT! GO SEE IT! GO SEE IT!

I feel if I haven't got my point across by now… well, then I must suck at like, because I can't make it any cleared that GO SEE IT!

That's the end of my author's not, except…

And, as per utterlyinsane's request – LIFE-SIZE JOHNNY DEPP DOLLIES FOR MY REVIEWERS! YES! WHOOHOO!

XOXO

Peaches


	15. What's Expected of Us

Disclaimer: Characters and settings are property of J.K. Rowling. What you don't recognize is mine. And I _wish _I owned the Marauders (specifically Sirius and Remus) but most unfortunately, I do not.

X-X-X-X-X

James woke up in a very comfortable bed that was very soft, very silky, and also very much not his own. He jolted awake, shouting, "Padfoot!" There was a sleepy grumble that came from somewhere beyond the curtains of his canopy bed. Pushing aside the curtain – they were a soft, golden color – he peered out at the next bed, from which Sirius's sleepy head emerged.

"Bloody hell, Prongs," he grumbled disconcertedly. "What'd you go waking me up for?" Yawning, he added, "By the way, you owe me ten galleons. You and everybody else."

"Why? Is this 'Pay Sirius Black Ten Galleons Day'?" demanded a very tired voice. Sirius and James turned – Janine was standing the doorway, rubbing her red-rimmed eyes.

"You bet me I couldn't stay awake the longest. I stayed awake the longest. Ergo, you owe me ten galleons."

"I didn't bet you that!"

"Yes, you did!"

"Did not!"

"Did too!"

"Did not!"

"Did too!"

"Did not!"

"Did not!"

"Hah! Lily already tried this trick with me. Did _not!"_

"Did… Wait, am I supposed to say did _not, _or did _too?"_

"Er…"

"Belt up," said James with an irritable scowl. "You two bicker like a married couple." They glowered at him. "Right, right. _No commitments. _I get it. You won't be getting married anytime soon."

"You guys are awfully loud," complained Remus from nearby. "And when did my bed get golden sheets?"

"Good point. S'far as I know, we've never _had _golden sheets at my house. Speaking of which, why are you at my house?" The question was directed at Janine.

She smirked. "Silly. You're at _my _house. We fell asleep on the sofas. I think."

"Oh."

"You won your 'who-gets-more-room-on-the-sofa' game with Lily," she added helpfully.

"Good! Take _that, _Evans."

"Which is possibly not the best way to win her affections," said Remus with a sleepy grin. He waved at Janine. "Hullo."

"Hi there." Janine flopped on the carpet, sitting Indian-style as she leaned over her feet, looking eagerly at them all. "Did you get my presents? Is Peter awake?"

"Yes and no," answered Remus. "Yes, we got your presents. No, Peter's not awake."

A soft snoring noise abruptly cut off, replaced by, "Yes I am!" Peter poked his head through the hangings. "I am awake! Janine, what're you doing in Prongs's house?"

"Someday," she replied thoughtfully, "one of you is going to tell me the secret behind these stupid little pet names of yours." The three of them glared at Peter. "Oy! Don't glare at Peter or I'll kick you out!"

"Kick us out?" echoed Peter.

"You're in my house, Petey."

"_House!? _This is more like a sep-"

"-Arate country," finished Remus. "We know, Wormtail."

"And there we go with the silly pet names again…"

"Shut up, Janine!" all four boys chorused. Janine rolled her eyes.

"Well _excu-use _me," she grumbled.

"God! You guys are bloody loud – how's anybody supposed to get some sleep around here?" snapped Lily, poking a tousled red head through the door. "We can hear you down the hall!" James's eyes widened. No, it was not the first time he had seen her in a white nightgown, although, admittedly, this one was quite a bit shorter than the last one. James screwed up his eyes, trying to remember what the other one had looked like, but he couldn't. Then again, he supposed, he'd been more preoccupied that night.

Apparently, Lily had realized that she was wearing a thin nightgown the same time he had, for in almost an instant, a pink robe had settled itself around her shoulders. She pulled it tightly around her form while Sirius and Janine sniggered. "It's rude to stare," Remus joked, hitting James on the shoulder.

Janine snorted, and then rolled her eyes. "Right. Now that we're all cheery and happy and _awake_, can we get some breakfast?"

Sirius shot towards the door. "_Finally!_ Tell you what!" he added, racing down the hall. At the opposite end, Alyssa, Jen, and Marlene poked their heads out. "If I make it to the dining room first, you all owe me _another _ten galleons!"

"No fair!" shouted James, and raced after him.

X-X-X-X-X

_Earlier That Morning_

"Severus?" Severus glanced up as his mother walked into his chambers, her gait a bit unsteady. Selena Snape had always been a pretty woman, if a bit on the thin, pale side. Now, she was paler than ever, her dark eyes were red-rimmed, and she was far too thin for a woman of her age.

Severus could guess what had happened – in a drunken fit of rage, Sebastian Snape had turned his wand on his wife. That was not unheard of in the Snape household.

"Yes, mother?" he asked, his voice quiet. Loud noises tended to upset her fragile condition.

"I'm not feeling well." _That much is obvious, _he thought sardonically. "Do you think you could ask the house-elves to make breakfast, and lunch, too, for you whenever you're hungry?"

"Yes, mother." Not _mum. _Mother. How strange. Janine's family was as old as his way. Potter's family was as old as his was. Black's family was just as old as his. Many of the pureblood families were just as old, rich, and respected as his. Strange how all of _those _children called all their mothers 'mum.' He didn't.

"And don't bother your father," she added in a tiny voice. "He's in the library with some… friends, of his. He doesn't want to be interrupted."

Severus never interrupted his father, even when he didn't mind being interrupted. (That happened very rarely). "I won't."

She smiled, and held out a hand to him. Even in her weakened state, she still managed to act the perfect pureblood. He took her hand, kissed it, and then kissed her cheek. "Good night, Severus," she said with an unsteady smile.

"Good night, mother." She left him.

Severus returned to his notes, thinking of the night before.

Flashback – Last Night

"…You like Lily, don't you?" Severus started and turned back to Janine. She was watching him as he watched Sirius and Lily dance. She wasn't a very good dancer, but – although it killed him to admit it – Sirius was. A _very _good dancer.

Ignoring her question, he asked, "What do you see in him, Janine? In Black, I mean?"

She smiled. "Roguish good looks."

"I'd rather hoped that you were one of those girls who went for important things – personality, brains, that sort of thing. But I'm beginning to realize that that is a rather foolish hope."

"Oh, shut up. You make me sound like a shallow-minded flirt." He raised his eyebrows. "I will not deny the flirt part, but I'm not shallow-minded. Yes, I've gone out with good-looking boys all my life… but I've never been serious about them. I never really… _considered _them for… well… you know."

He knew she was referring to marriage. "Didn't you?"

"Well, no." Janine rarely got flustered, except for around him. Severus wondered what it was that made her flustered now – perhaps, talking about an impending marriage was embarrassing. Not that he blamed her. Like many pureblooded families, hers expected her to marry into a good family. But that didn't seem to be what she wanted… "When I get married," she said quietly, "I want somebody who's going to make me happy. _All the time,_" she added with a scowl as Severus opened his mouth. "Not just in the bedroom. He can't be just good-looking, either." She was staring a point somewhere over his shoulder. "He has to be smart… have a good personality… he-"

"Heaven forbid, don't tell me you're planning on marrying _Lupin._"

"Good God, Severus, why would you think that?" He'd startled her out of her reverie.

He whirled her around, suddenly. "Because you were staring at him over my shoulder. I did notice, by the way. Would you rather dance with him?"

She made a face. "No. And _no, _I'm not going to marry him."

"Your parents don't approve of lycanthropes?" he questioned in a low voice, smirking.

She scowled again. "I thought Dumbledore made you swear never to tell anybody about that."

"You _already _know. But I'm guessing your parents don't."

She looked shifty. "Dad wouldn't care, but Mum… she means well, and she adores Remus – she thinks he's a great bloke, and he is, but – well, she's got standards. What pureblood family doesn't?"

"Potter's family doesn't care that he's practically in love with a Muggleborn witch, and the Potters are as pureblooded as we are."

"But not one like ours," she said pointedly. "Anyway, I don't like this topic. Let's talk about something else." For that was her way. If she didn't like something – she ignored it, didn't talk about it, pretended it wasn't there. Severus preferred to bring things into the open and discuss them until a solution presented itself, or at least until it had been discussed far enough that there was nothing more to talk about.

Ignoring her request (or command, depending on the way you looked at it), he said, "You could find men like the ones you want to… well, _keep, _if you looked hard enough. Why waste your time?"

"I'm not wasting my time!"

"Then why do you date Black?"

She looked away. "He makes me laugh," she confessed softly, at last. "And yes, he's good-looking. I'll even admit that that's why I dated him at first. Well… first I wanted a good snog. But now, for all I care, we can come out as a couple when we get back at Hogwarts. And you know what? It's probably because he _is _good-looking. He's like a trophy – the best one, and I can show him off if I want to. Part of that is still true. But… but he makes me laugh. In a way that James, and Remus, and Peter, and even _you _don't. He's sweet to me, too. Not in front of others…"

"Perhaps his image matters more to him than you do."

She shrugged. "It probably does. But then… my image has always mattered to me more than anything. I've ignored people and made friends with others based on how they reflect on me."

"You made no qualms befriended Evans."

She was silent. "Because Lily has an aura about her. The kind that makes you _want _to pay attention to her." She looked at him, hard. "Does that make sense?"

Severus thought of his deeply-buried feelings for the Muggleborn witch, and nodded. "Yes, it does."

Somebody tapped Severus's shoulder, just as the song changed to a much slower one. He turned, and was faced with smoldering hazel eyes. Nonetheless, Potter attempted to give him a polite smile – he failed miserably, too. Severus didn't even try – he just sneered coldly. "Mind if I cut it?"

"Actually-"

"Not at all, James," Janine interrupted with a meaningful look in Severus's direction. "Severus was just about to get some punch for himself. Weren't you, Severus?"

"Yes," he managed with difficult, and left Janine in the hand of his James Potter. As he left, he heard James hiss, "What were you and old Stinky talking about?"

_Stinky. Huh. I almost prefer Snivellus._

**_Almost_**

_…Potter is a stupid bastard._

End Flashback

Severus sighed, and cleared up his notes. It was ironic, how he had seemingly "fallen" for the one girl he could never have – the one girl who, if he was unlucky, would end up with one of his arch-rivals. How even more unfortunate that her best friend – the other girl that he had "fallen," for lack of a better word, for, and _might _have actually had a chance with – would probably end up with whichever arch-rival was left. Either that, or she'd end up with Lupin, which, in Severus's mind, was highly unlikely, but still a possibility.

His door opened; he glanced up, and fought to keep a grimace from coming onto his face. Lucius Malfoy entered the room, holding his cane – his cane, in which his wand was concealed. _Most men attempt to look younger than they are, but Lucius Malfoy seems to want to be older, and thus carries a cane. It's… strange, for an eighteen-year-old to carry a cane._

"Severus, my friend," said Lucius, sitting in a chair across from Severus. "The hour is early, and yet you are not asleep."

"Neither are you."

Lucius's eyes flashed. "No, I am not. I am here to show you something."

_And the winner for making the gayest comment ever is…_ Severus put a disinterested look onto his face, although he could not deny he was curious. "Well, what is it?"

"Be patient," said Lucius, and rolled up his sleeves. This time, Severus could not hold off a grimace. The ugly mark was on the inside of his left arm – it was burning red, and the skin around it was irritated and inflamed. It appeared recent. "The Dark Mark," said Lucius with relish. "Isn't it beautiful?"

_That's a matter of opinion, _thought Severus darkly. "Beauty is in the eye of the beholder," was his only response. "Why are you showing this to me? And what is it?" He had a feeling he knew.

"The mark of the Dark Lord," said Lucius, covering it up. "Father doesn't know – I told him that I was visiting you to request that you take care of Narcissa once her older sister is gone. That's what he believes."

"Did you come to show it to me, Lucius?" The older boy – if he could be called that, at eighteen – nodded. "Why?"

"So that you may understand what it means – it means _power._ Power that, one day, will be shared with you." His eyes, ordinarily a gray color, appeared dark and stormy, suddenly. "Should you choose to follow the right path," he added softly.

Severus knew what answer was expected of him. And he was a Slytherin, from an all-Slytherin family. He knew what to say. "Must you even ask?"

Lucius smiled – it wasn't a sincere smile, but then, Lucius was never sincere. "I was making sure. And now I'm sure." He turned and stared out the window. "Ordinarily, you would not receive your Dark Mark until you are at least eighteen. Some receive it later." He spoke the word, 'receive,' as though the Dark Mark were a gift. Then again, Lucius might very well think it was.

Lucius lowered his eyes, and Severus could tell he was a bit angry, although he didn't know _why._ "What?" he snapped, annoyed.

"There are some," he continued in a low voice, "that will get theirs earlier. Bellatrix Black – no doubt you know her-"

_Who doesn't know her? In the yearbook, they give out names to people. Hers will probably be 'Insane Bitch,' or something of the sort._

"-And so I hardly need tell you this, but she is one such. She received hers last night, the same time I did."

Severus frowned. "She was at the Garnet Masquerade last night."

"Last night, this morning. It depends on how you look at it. I recognized Bella by her dress – the one with the huge rip in it, from her darling cousin. We are not to see one another's faces. We apparated there immediately after the Masquerade." It occurred to Severus that Lucius had probably _been _at the Masquerade, although they'd never come face to face. "It is my belief that you will be one of the… 'privileged' few who receive their Dark Mark at seventeen. Consider yourself fortunate."

Severus said nothing.

"I will take my leave – hopefully, Father has finished his business with your father in the library." He glanced around the room. "This study… it is a nice room." And then he left.

Severus waited for a few moments, but Lucius did not return, and nobody else entered. Sighing, he got up and went to the corner of his study. He pulled the bell-pull, and a house elf appeared at once. "Get me breakfast," he ordered irritably.

"Yes sir," squeaked the house elf – Severus could hardly be bothered to remember its name. "Would Master like his eggs scrambled, or-"

"Get out!" snapped Severus. The house elf squeaked and ran out the door. Severus massaged his temples. The Dark Mark. A Death Eater.

In one year exactly, if Lucius was right, he would be one of them.

And then another thought occurred to him.

_Oh, God. Now that she's a Death Eater, Bellatrix is going to be **unbearable** when we get back to school._

X-X-X-X-X

"So, what's the plan for today?" asked James through a mouth full of bacon. The girl gave him slightly revolted looks, and Mrs. Garnet clucked her tongue disapprovingly.

"Close your mouth when you chew," instructed Mrs. Garnet as she swept by. James flushed, and swallowed. "And for your information, we'll be spending the day at Diagon Alley. While we're there, you're welcome to shop – Janine, your grandmother left you some pocket money and a note as a New Year's Gift – and we'll meet up for dinner. Your parents, James, will pick you boys up after we have dinner. Oh, and Alyssa, darling, your aunt Cecilia asked you and the girls to stop by this afternoon, if you have time."

"Thanks, Mrs. Garnet. We'll do that." She nodded and left through the wood doors.

Janine reached over to the wall and rang a bell-pull; three house elves appeared at once. Lily sniffed disdainfully. "Get me my grandmother's gift," she ordered.

The house elves bowed humbly and disappeared as quickly as they'd come. Janine pretended not to hear when Lily muttered, "Like slaves." The other three girls hid sniggers behind their hands as the boys looked perplexed.

"What about saves?" questioned Sirius. Lily just shook her head.

"Nothing, forget it." Lily stood up and stretched, barely managing to keep her pink robe closed (to James's immense disappointment). "D'you mind if I go change?" she asked Janine.

"Go ahead. We'll probably leave in an hour or two – until then, go wherever the hell you want. I'll send a house elf to get you."

"Slaves," said Lily again.

"Oh! _That's _what she said!" Sirius said suddenly. He was ignored.

Lily disappeared, just as Janine put a restraining hand on James's shoulder. "Forget it, Potter, you can _not _follow her and watch her undress."

Thirty minutes later, Lily slipped out of the bathroom, pushing her wet curls back from her forehead, feeling refreshed after such a long soak in the bathtub.

She stopped dead, shutting the door behind her. Perry was sitting on Janine's neatly-made bed, and he looked upset. "Perry?" she asked gently. He whipped his head around, and looked startled. "Are you all right?"

"Sorry," he admitted, blushing faintly. Lily was glad that she'd decided to put on her clothes _before _coming out of the bathroom. "I thought you were Janine. I was looking for her."

"Why?" she asked curiously.

He shook his head. "Oh… never mind. It's not that important."

"The hell it isn't." Something gripped Lily's tongue, making her very blunt and frank. "Something _is _wrong. You look upset."

He looked disturbed. "I wanted to know if Dad told her that… thing that he wanted to talk to us about." _He's being deliberately evasive, _Lily thought grouchily. "The day of the attack," he clarified. And then Lily realized something – she and Janine had been together almost constantly since then. There was no way Mr. Garnet would have managed to pull her aside and tell her whatever was so important. What was even stranger was another startling realization – aside from the night before, at the Masquerade, Lily had not seen Mr. Garnet _once _since the start of holidays. And surely she would have known if he'd had a Quidditch match. Janine traditionally plopped herself in front of the Wizarding Wireless

"Janine doesn't know. I don't think I've even _seen _Mr. Garnet for a while." Lily glanced at him shrewdly. "Why? Do _you _know?"

"If I did, d'you _really _think I'd tell you?" Lily's mouth snapped shut, and he gazed at her apologetically, his cheeks tinted red. "Sorry; that was rude. I shouldn't have said that. But anyway, I don't know."

"I thought you knew everything," teased Lily.

"Well, I don't know for _sure._ Let's just say I've made an educated guess."

"Oh." Lily shifted from foot to foot. "Oh," she said again. "Well…"

"Yeah," he said at last, and walked past her. "I guess the others'll want to use the bathroom and all. And Janine's probably still having breakfast. Sorry for bothering you, Lily." He ran down the hall.

Lily poked her head out the door and watched him disappear through a pair of double doors. She sighed, rubbing her face. Shopping. It was going to be a _long _day.

And she _did _wonder what Perry knew that everybody else didn't, of course…

X-X-X-X-X

A/N: Sorry, I guess that's a bit shorter than I've been writing lately. But what's upcoming needs to be included in the same chapter, rather than splitting it up. And my apologies to Shadowrayne, as I did not update the day after I got your review… I ran out of ideas. Sorry, sorry, sorry!

All right, well, I finally took it upon myself to visit JKR's official website – so here's my rant. If you haven't gone there, go. I think. Anyway, what's following is stuff found on that site. It's not big, so you should be able to find it yourself. In any case, if you'd rather find it and not read it here, go ahead. I guess this could be a "Spoiler Alert" – you decide.

First things first. About the whole prefects-taking-points thing… well, there you go. Apparently they _can _take points. So there. I was right (in a weird, twisted sort of way). Ron was wrong. Next thing. I do _not _like Ginny's name as Ginevra – I much prefer Virginia. But hey, I'm trying to keep this as canon as possible, so… fine. Ginevra Weasley. Because, at some point, (although probably not in this story) Ginny Weasley _will _be mentioned. It'll come in the story that I may or may not eventually write about Harry's sixth year. I don't know. Whatever. I don't like it, but it'll do. Next thing – I fully plan on entering the Weasleys in this story. Why? Because, apparently, Molly Weasley was, before she was married, Molly Prewett. And seeing as I've already included Fabian and Gideon… I suppose I _have _to include their older sister, right? And she is older because… well, come on. Look at Bill and Charlie. Charlie is twelve years older than Ron, I think – there is textual evidence of that in the first and third books. In the first, Fred and George (I think it's them, anyway) say that Gryffindor hasn't won the cup since Charlie Weasley. In the third book, McGonagall tells Harry to win his match against Ravenclaw because Snape has just reminded her that if they lose in that year, they'll be out of the running for the Quidditch Cup for the eighth year in a row. I figure that the last year that Charlie Weasley won the Quidditch Cup was his seventh year – thus, he must have been about seventeen. Eight years later, he'd be twenty-five. Harry and co. are thirteen. Twenty-five minus thirteen is twelve. Thus, Charlie twelve years older. Bill is even _older _than that. Because of that, Molly Prewett would obviously be far older than her brothers, assuming they were at school the same time as Lily and James, which I had made them so. And I've probably bored you to death by now (don't worry, I don't like math either), so… yeah. Um. Okay. And the last thing – Yes, I _know _Remus does not have a twin brother. I never said he _did. _I just said he had an _older _brother named Romulus. Not twin. So there. Nyah! (I've just stuck my tongue out at you, if you didn't get that – although I don't know why).

Okay, that's the end – now, my endnotes on THIS chapter. I wanted to give Snape a bit of depth – so I did. I hope I did a _fairly _decent portrayal of him. And I also _do _know that the idea of him being in love with Lily is somewhat… cliché. And we all hate clichés. Right, I know. But there's a reason I wanted to do that – it gives Snape more of a reason to really _hate _James Potter and Sirius Black, who have, thus far, gotten FAR more action with Lily than he has. Sucks to be Snape, I guess. Oh well. He can get his action later.

I'm really going to try and speed up the story. Important note – I did _not _say speed up chapter UPDATES. I'm updating as fast as I can – I just have problems getting my ideas typed out. It's called Writer's Block, and there is no real cure, although all us writers wish there was. If anybody ever develops a real cure, let me know. I will buy up your entire supply.

Couple of last things – first, around Friday, Saturday-ish, I'm going away for a few days. I'll be back not long after, and then, on the 28th, I'm going away for three weeks. I come back, spend about five days at home, and then go away for another week. Don't expect a lot of updates in that time, because I'm probably _not _going to have access to a computer. Sorry, but… assuming I get another update or two out in the next week, those'll probably be the last ones until around… August. Sorry; I know it sucks. I hate being away from my computer where I can write for that long. But there's not a lot I can do about it.

Okay, and directly to Dreammergurl2007 – Yes, I KNOW! DANIEL RADCLIFF AND TOM FELTON ARE SOOOOOOOOO HOT! I TOTALLY AGREE! Um, yeah. Now that I've _sufficiently _embarrassed myself, I'll end the author's note so you can go and read whatever you want (unless some of you want to read "What It Takes", my D/Hr fic. I would most appreciate if you left a review – and I know the updates on that one are painfully slow, but I can't help it – it's REALLY hard to write. Except for the chapter where they've FINALLY gotten together. That one's _easy._ Now I just have to get there).

All right, and to all my reviewers – life-size… um… I'm running out of ideas here, folks. So we'll go to the norm – life-size Remus and Sirius dollies! Yay!

XOXO

Peaches


	16. Day at Diagon: Part I

Disclaimer: Characters and settings are property of J.K. Rowling. What you don't recognize is mine. And I _wish _I owned the Marauders (specifically Sirius and Remus) but most unfortunately, I do not.

X-X-X-X-X

"Right, so we'll separate and meet back at the Leaky Cauldron for dinner, right?" said Lyon, lookin at all his sister's friends with exhausted eyes. The last thing he wanted to do was baby-sit a load of sixteen-year-olds who fancied themselves adults. Then, of course, there was the added bonus of babysitting his nineteen-year-old brother (who acted more like he was nine), his seventeen-year-old brother (who acted like he was seven), and his eleven-year-old brother (who acted like he was twenty-one, for a change). Fortunately, the three aforementioned brothers had already disappeared in the Magical Menagerie. But he'd probably run into them later. He sighed.

"Long day, huh?" came a sweet voice from off to his left. He half-turned and smiled at his girlfriend of six years, Marie Dubois.

"You might say that," he told her, kissing her cheek lightly. She accepted his kiss with the grace with which she accepted everything else, and, as if on cue, the girls went, "Aww…" – in Janine's case, doing so for the purpose of annoying her brother, the others, simply because they thought the couple were cute. He didn't bother telling Janine to shut up. She wouldn't anyway.

Marie smiled around at them all. "You're not giving Lyon any trouble, are you?"

"No, we're not giving your itty bitty snookums any trouble at all," Janine said sweetly. It was at this point that Lyon bent down, scooped up a handful of snow, and stuffed it down his sister's sweater, causing her to shriek loudly. Marie giggled, pressing a hand to her mouth to stifle it. Lyon straightened up, brushing snow off of his sweater, and wrapped his arm around Marie's shoulders.

"Come on, then."

"Oh, good! Sierra's Boutique as the most _darling _winter outfits, and I there are a couple more places I want to stop by on Regalia Avenue…" Lyon barely managed to hide his groan as they sauntered off. Janine stood up moments later, on just having succeeded in emptying her shirt of slush.

"I'm going to get him back," she swore.

"Later," Alyssa said, slinging a friendly arm around her shoulders. "We have lots of shopping to do! By the way, I forgot to ask – what did your grandmother's note say?"

"Oh, the usual – that she was very disappointed in my behavior at the Masquerade, and that she trusts that by her next visit, I will have grown up and matured some."

"That'll be the day," muttered Remus. Janine bent low and hurled a snowball at him, but she wasn't quick enough – it splattered on the cobblestones behind him as Remus swerved out the way, sticking his tongue out at her.

"Anyway, the money was a New Year's gift – so I fully intend to spend it." She looked thoughtful as Alyssa's eyes lit up.

"Good! We can all go to Sierra's Boutique! And you can spend your money and get your brother back for stuffing snow down your shirt!"

Janine made a face at her friend. "Oh, _no. _I have enough clothes, thank you." Lily's jaw dropped, just as Janine added, "I don't think I need any more."

"Now I've heard everything," Marlene muttered. Janine threw a snowball at her, too, but Marlene also swerved out of the way Janine's snowball hit a passerby.

"Oy!" the man shouted. "Watch what you're doing!"

"Sorry!" Janine grinned, not looking remotely sorry. "SO! Who wants to go to Quality Quidditch Supplies with me?"

"What, you need _more _Quidditch supplies? You have enough of _those, _too," Jen said with a grin. Janine stuck her tongue out at her.

"My armguards felt apart during the last game, and I need new ones."

"I'll go with you," Sirius offered quickly. The others exchanged looks. "I've been wanting… er… a new… er…"

"Jumper," Remus supplied with a half-grin.

"Yes! A jumper, exactly!" He held out his arm, and Janine linked hers with it as they cheerfully marched off.

"I don't know why he felt compelled to make an excuse," Marlene said, looking amused. "We all know that she's going to get her armguards and then they'll find a nice, unoccupied alley where they can snog."

"Probably. I need to buy a new Herbology text," Lily said, "since a certain _somebody _borrowed mine and handed it back in two halves." She glowered at Jen, who stared sheepishly at the sky. "Anybody want to come?" James had his mouth halfway opened before she said quickly, "_Not _you."

He made a face, and Remus volunteered. "I'll go. I've been meaning to pick up a new Defense text for ages. I was using my cousin's, and it's falling apart now…"

"All right, come on then. Anybody else? _Besides _Potter?" she added.

Alyssa sighed. "I'll go with you," she said. "Jen?"

Jen shook her head emphatically. "Oh, no thanks. I'm not giving Lily the chance to snap at me more for her Herbology book. I'll go to the Magical Menagerie and find Janine's brothers."

"I'll go with you," offered Marlene quickly. "And James, I think you should come to."

"What about me?" Peter asked, looking hurt.

"You could follow Janine and Sirius," suggested Alyssa innocently.

Peter shot her a revolted look. "Ugh, no thanks. I'll go with you."

"Good. Then Remus won't feel so alone."

"Huh? But I've got you two to go with-"

"Come on, Lupin, don't make them spell it out for you," Marlene teased. "They want to have some girl talk, and they can't do it while _you're _there."

"Sure we can," retorted Lily. "We think of Remus as one of us girls, don't we?"

"Sure," said Alyssa quietly.

"Doesn't matter. Even if we _think _of him as girl, he's not one. Or at least," she added thoughtfully. "I hope not."

"Oh,_ thanks,_" Remus replied scathingly. "I can see when I'm loved. Come on, Pete. Let's go somewhere else – so that the girls can have their _girl talk._"

"Good. Because I really think it's time I stopped in at Gambol and Jape's – I'm running out of dungbombs and the next Hogsmeade trip isn't until February, and if we want to raid the Slytherin common room-"

"I'm going to pretend I didn't here that," Lily called over her shoulder. She and Alyssa were already walking away.

The rest of the group split up, James shouting, "We'll meet for lunch at Florean Fortescue's, yeah?"

"Don't be a prat!" Remus shouted over his shoulder. "Who would want ice cream in _January?"_

X-X-X-X-X

"Why does he have to come with us?" Bellatrix Black paused in the act of allowing her hand to stroke a particularly soft set of green silk Quidditch robes. She turned, irritated at being interrupted, upon which Narcissa sent her the full blast of her pout. Bella turned once more, and saw Regulus skulking off to the side, inspecting a pair of maroon Quidditch cords.

"Cousin, those are horrid, get away from them," ordered Bella. She turned to her sister. "Don't complain, Narcissa."

Narcissa's gray eyes turned wide, and then sulky. Her pout was more pronounced than before. "I want to go to Regalia Avenue," she complained. "Quidditch is so boring, Bella. And anyway," she added, "You can't wear those. They're non-Regulation."

Bella rolled her eyes. "Unless they're the specific Hogwarts robes, they're _all _non-regulation." She turned back to them, stroking them. Her dark gray eyes gleamed. "And anyway, I don't care. I'll smuggle them in and wear them anyway."

"You'll get in trouble."

"So?"

"That attitude is what didn't let you become Head Girl," Regulus said from nearby.

"Do shut up, cousin," Bella said. "We let you come along today out of the goodness of our hearts. So don't complain."

"I'm not complaining!" he retorted. "I'm only pointing out facts!"

"Well, stop doing that, then."

"I want to go to Regalia Avenue!"

Bella rounded on her sister with a scowl. "We'll go when I'm _ready, _Narcissa. Now stop your whinging."

"And anyway, it's not like you need more clothes," added Regulus.

"Shut up."

"You have so many. You just want to go find out who that girl with Lucius is."

"I said shut up!"

Bella turned, amused. "Now, now. He's right, of course. Fine." Bella let her hand drop. "We'll come back, and I'll buy these. For now, let's just go to Regalia Avenue and find your darling Lucius. And _you,_"she added in the direction of Regulus, who had just opened his mouth. "Don't you dare even _think _of complaining."

The Blacks strode from Quality Quidditch supplies, Bella in the lead. Unfortunately, Bella halted, causing both Narcissa and Regulus to walk into her from behind. "Ouch!" cried Narcissa. "What did you stop for?"

"Oh, _Jimmy!"_ James turned, and a dark scowl crossed his features. Behind him, chatting companionably, were Marlene and Jen, who also stopped and glowered at Bella, although Marlene less venomously so. "_Darling, _come and talk to your dear Bellatrix!" She laughed as James shot her a revolted look and hastily picked up his pace, his long legs quickly carrying him into the Magical Menagerie, Marlene and Jen right behind him. Bella laughed again.

"Oh, _honestly," _said Narcissa, disgusted. Bella stopped laughing and turned to her, frowning. "Go on, flirt with Potter all you want – we don't care, I mean, who does if it makes a bad impression on the family-"

"What _are _you talking about?"

"It's shameful! The way you pretend to flirt with Potter, even if it _is _pretending. I mean, _look_ at him – it's _disgusting,_ although at least King is a pureblood – going about with McKinnon, a filthy half-blood, and it's _nothing _compared to how he lusts after that stupid Mudblood, Evans, and-"

"That's enough, Narcissa," Bella said sharply. Regulus looked from one cousin to the other, his eyes wide. "First of all, don't you even _think _to challenge anything I do, or I'll leave you here to find your darling Lucius all on your own."

Narcissa looked sulky again. "I'll tell Mother if you do."

"Don't be such a tattletale, Narcissa," she sneered in response. "And in any case, there is no feasible way I could shame this family more than _your _brother has," she added, turning to Regulus, who looked a bit startled to have been dragged into the conversation. Then he, too, became sulky.

"I didn't _ask _for Sirius as a brother," he grumbled.

"Who would?" retorted Narcissa. She turned to Bella. "He's an embarrassment to the family, Bella, I agree, but your behavior has become ridiculous concerned James Potter. I mean, honestly! You even have a _nickname _for him!"

"Narcissa, _be quiet._"

"All right, I suppose he's good-looking, but why can't you pursue that sort of thing in secret like everybody else?"

"_Narcissa, _I mean it."

"And you pretend to go out with that idiot Lestrange the entire time, but you're after Potter's heart for Merlin knows what reason-"

_Crack._

Narcissa gasped and stumbled backwards, holding her now red cheek. Bella's eyes blazed. "I said," she began, in a very deadly voice, "to be quiet. Maybe you didn't hear me, sister. I trust you do now." Narcissa nodded, tears in her eyes. "Now. Be a good girl, and we'll go find your Lucius for you. But until we do, _I do not want to hear your voice again._ Understand?" She nodded tearfully again. "Good. Good, good. Come along, Regulus," she added imperiously. "Narcissa."

They trudged off towards Regalia Avenue. For a few moments, it seemed as though Narcissa might burst into tears, but Regulus pinched her arm. She glowered at him; he subtly shook his head. Giving a loud sniff, she swiped her tears away and held up her head, walking proudly after her sister, with almost no traces of her near-hysterical experience, looking like the true Black she was.

X-X-X-X-X

"Why _don't _you like Potter, anyway?" Lily looked up, _One Thousand Magical Herbs and Fungi_ in one hand.

"Hmm?"

"I asked, why don't you like Potter?" Lily gave Alyssa a startled look. "Well, it's a perfectly legitimate question. You must have some reason for not liking him."

"What makes you think I have just _one _reason?"

"Reason, reasons, whatever. Why?"

"Why not?"

"You're not answering my question." Lily sighed. "I mean, it's one thing if you just don't want to tell me – like, if he's done some horrible, awful, unmentionable thing to you." Lily was quiet. "Has he?"

"No."

"Then why don't you like him?"

Lily shrugged. "Well…" Her hand drifted lazily across some more books on the shelves, occasionally pausing on one, and then continuing.

"Yes?"

"Potter and I have never liked each other. Even since were first met. He wasn't very nice to me, so I wasn't very nice to him. Quite simple, really."

"Well, that doesn't seem to matter much. Plenty of people who never liked each other end up together. Look at Janine and Sirius! There's one couple. And… hmm… what about those two Ravenclaws, huh? Daniel Johnson and Hope Aldridge? I heard they used to _hate _each other. When they first met, anyway. And now, they've been dating for five months!"

"It doesn't _always_ work out that way," retorted Lily. "Look at Sirius and Snape? They _hate _each other, and guess what? _They're _not dating."

Alyssa giggled. "Just think! They'd be the most controversial couple of Hogwarts!"

"Ooh, yes. Can you imagine? Going to Madam Puddifoot's, and – ugh, now I've gone to a _very _bad mental place." Alyssa made a grotesque face that mirrored Lily's own expression. Then the girls collapsed into giggles again.

Still a bit out of breath, Alyssa gasped, "Well, then. So it's not _always _the case. But surely that's not the only reason you don't like him? I mean, well, if you didn't like him then because he didn't like you – well, that's perfectly reasonable. But Lily, he _adores _you now. He put it behind him; why can't you?"

"He's a bullying toerag."

"That's why you can't put it behind you?"

"Well, no. He thinks he's God's gift to witches everywhere. He thinks he's _so _good-looking, mussing up his hair whenever there's a girl around. And he steps on people like they don't matter! And he's so _arrogant! _He's always thinking of how wonderful he _thinks _he is, but never of other people – and then there's the way he's _always _going off with other girls-"

"You sound jealous."

"I'm _not! _I don't like him because – well, I don't want somebody who's only going to date me because I'm the one girl he never had!"

Alyssa was quiet. "That's a fair reason," she said at last. "But hasn't it occurred to you that maybe the reason he wants to go out with you is only that he _likes _you?"

"Hasn't it occurred to you that maybe the reason he wants to go out with me has _nothing to do _with liking me?" she retorted hotly. Alyssa sighed, and the girls locked eyes for a moment. Alyssa gave up first. It wasn't worth it.

"If you say so."

"I do say so," replied Lily. She flipped her hair over her shoulder. "Let's go find Remus and Peter, shall we? They ought to be in the Defense section."

X-X-X-X-X

James patted a cat's head absently. "_Jimmy._ Honestly! What sort of demented nickname is that? Bella doesn't even like me."

"Mm-hmm," said Marlene noncommittally.

"I mean, why does she have to go out of her way to embarrass me like that whenever she sees me?"

"Dunno," replied Jen, bending over a cage full of sleek, black rats.

"The next thing you know, people will think we're _dating! _Do you _know _what that's going to do for my reputation?" He was greeted with silence. "Jen? Marlene?" Neither girl was paying attention to him. "You're not even paying attention to me!"

Marlene sighed. "James, we listened to you the first time. We even listened the second time. I even managed to listen through the first part of the third time! But really, four is getting repetitive."

"But-"

"We _know _all this. Let's talk about something else," suggested Jen, straightening up.

"But I want to-"

"Rant and rave like a lunatic all day? Fine. You do that. We'll ignore you." Jen bent over the cage again.

James sighed dramatically. "You two just don't love me," he said gloomily.

"You're right; we don't."

"If my mother were here, _she'd _listen to me. She loves me."

"Go ask her to listen to you, then." Jen stretched, and yawned. "Well, James seems _determined _to be melodramatic – shall we go wait for the others at the ice cream parlor?"

"Ooh, good idea." The girls sauntered off, Marlene adding over her shoulder, "Come find us when you're done acting silly."

"Acting silly," James grumbled as the door shut behind him. "Acting _silly. _I'll show you acting silly-"

"Oy, Potter, are you talking to yourself?" Damien was eyeing him warily from nearby.

"No," said James, annoyed. Jeffrey peered over Damien's shoulder.

"Really? Because it _sounded _like you were talking to yourself."

"I wasn't!"

"If you say so," said Damien dubiously, just as Jeffrey muttered, "We'll just have to check him into the Loony Bin at St. Mungo's, that all."

"I'm _not _a lunatic!" The Garnet brothers were walking off in another direction, and James hit himself in the forehead. "Great. Now they bloody think I'm insane."

"You mean you aren't?" Perry was sitting on a barrel full of who-knows-what that was meant to be faded to the double-ended newts. (_Incidentally, how **do** you feed a double-ended newt?_ That was something for James to ponder another day). "Because, you know, they're right. It _does _sound an awful lot like you're talking to yourself."

"I'm not!" shouted James, beginning to feel angry. A nearby clerk shot him an annoyed look, one he was only too happy to return. "What is this, 'Pick on James' day?"

Unbidden, from his mind, a voice said, "_Well, maybe you know how the people **you** always pick on feel._" That was Lily's voice. Where did she come from? She wasn't even there.

"If it is, it ought to be made a national holiday," said Perry, with a grin. "That way, people all over the nation would come to make fun of you." As an afterthought, he added, "I bet Lily would like that." James stared at him. "Well, she would," he said pleasantly. "And anyway, she'd be paying attention to you, but the not the sort where she ends up slapping you. And that's what you want, isn't it?" James stared at him. _It's like the kid can read minds!_ "The mind's not a book to be read," Perry said severely. "Didn't anybody ever teach you that?" _This is creeping me out. I'd better to catch up with the girls. _"You do that," said Perry, turning about. "Hey! Jeff; Damien! Wait for me!"

"Well, hurry up then!" That was Jeffrey. Perry turned one last time and gave James a mysterious smile, before disappearing down the aisle.

James shuddered. _That was **weird**. I've got to remind Janine to keep her kid brother away from me. _He stepped outside, and looked up. It had begun to lightly snow.

X-X-X-X-X

"Decided to stop being melodramatic, _Jimmy?" _Jen teased playfully. She, Marlene, Janine, and Sirius were seated around a table.

"Don't call me that," he said succinctly, sliding into a place beside his best friend. He glanced at Janine, and smirked. "Did you get your armguards?"

She gave him a very innocent smile. "Of course I did, _Jimmy._ What did you think I went to Quality Quidditch Supplies to do?"

"You just got here," pointed out Marlene. "You could not have _possibly _been looking for armguards that entire time."

"There are lots of makes," Sirius interjected, winking in the girls' direction. Marlene pretended to swoon.

"Oh! The dashing Sirius Black _winked _at me."

"Yes, he did," retorted Sirius with a smirk. "Consider yourself lucky, McKinnon."

"Oh, don't worry, Black," interjected Jen. "I'm sure she'll count her lucky _stars _every night from now on."

James rolled his eyes. "You lot are ridiculous. Am I on the only mature one around?"

"_You? _Mature? That's debatable," said Lily, squeezing into a spot between Marlene and Janine. "So, tell me – why are we all clustered here, in an ice cream parlor, in the middle of January?"

"It's not the middle of January," pointed out Peter. "It's the _beginning_ of January." Remus thwacked him on the head from behind. Rubbing his head, (and with a scowl in Remus's direction), Peter asked, "So, where to for lunch?"

"Leaky Cauldron?" suggested Jen.

"No, we're going there for dinner." Janine looked thoughtful. "There are some good restaurants around. What's one within our price range?"

"Let's pool our resources and see." After counting out their money, they determined that there was just enough to go to the restaurant around the corner: The Fwooper's Song. Lily, Marlene, and Peter had never been there, but Jen swore by it, insisting that she'd been there for practically every birthday dinner until she'd gone to Hogwarts for her first year.

"All right," said James cheerfully. "The Fwooper's Song it is."

X-X-X-X-X

A/N: Whee! New chappie, and just before I go to San Francisco, too! You should all be very proud of me. I initially intended this to be a MUCH longer chapter, as I want to make the following chapters longer, too… but my computer was being mean to me. Yesterday, the Internet steadfastly _refused _to work, and today, my keyboard wouldn't work this morning! Honestly! Can you _imagine? _The nerve!

Yes, well, _anyway…_ As of today, I have just finished uploading the revised chapters. **Important! I revised Chapters 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 9, and 10!** However, most of them are really minor dialogue changes that are seriously not going to become important in the future, except for one – **GO READ CHAPTER 9! ONE ENTIRE SCENE IN IT HAS BEEN CHANGED!** Okay, I didn't actually do _too _much editing… and I swear, I'm really, really trying to get more insight into the other characters! The first scene of the next chapter (which I've already begun to write) is going to be from Remus's POV. Oh, and one last thing! This is **important so read this!** Remus no longer has an older brother by the name of Romulus who is a vampire hunter in Australia. Instead, he has a much older cousin named **Gavin** that is a vampire hunter in Australia. And I made him a half-blood, like JKR said he was. So there.

Right, so now to go about answering questions…

They are in sixth year. Sorry, I realized that I never made that clear. That's been fixed.

Okay, as to Lily giving James a chance – he's still a prat to her, but as the year progresses, he's going to become a slightly-more-likeable prat. But when she actually gives him his chance… that will be seventh year. Sorry. But that's what JKR said, and that's what it's going to be. I want them to get together soon too… so I'll try and speed up a bit. And I realized that I always say that but I never do. I'm working on it. Promise.

Remus getting a girl… hmm, yes, let's give him a girl. I feel bad for poor Remus. If he doesn't have a girlfriend, he's welcome to have ME! …Anyway, yes, I will give him a girl. But it might not last. I don't take this fic where I want it to go, it takes _me _where _it _wants to go. But I'll see what I can do.

And now worries to anybody who thinks that Sirius and Lily are going to get together, or Snape and Lily – no, no, no, NEVER! They may have a brief fling, but it'll never last. BECAUSE LILY WILL END UP WITH JAMES! Period. So don't worry. I love Snape and Sirius as much as the next person, but James and Lily _are _going to get together… eventually. I swear it. I would _never _change that. Besides, Lily and James are by far the cutest couple EVER! (Well, Ron and Hermione are cute too, and so are Harry and Ginny, and Draco and Ginny, and – this is a bit random, though – Fred and Angelina. Of course).

To Shadowrayne – sorry. I was going to update yesterday, but the Internet conked on me, so I really couldn't. I'm a day late. Sorry, sorry, sorry! And unfortunately, you'll have to wait for the next update for a while. I'll try and update next week, but that's likely to be the last update until mid-July or August. Sorry about that!

To GryffindorGoddess28 – YES! OMG, Rupert Grint is _so _hot!!! I was upset that there was no Sean Biggerstaff (Oliver Wood), though… HOW DARE THEY TAKE SUCH HOTNESS OUT!? And yes, the whole Harry having blue eyes things bothers me SO MUCH! I have complained to all my friends, who finally got pissed off at me and told me to shut the hell up before they hit me. But yes, it's true! HE'S SUPPOSED TO HAVE GREEN EYES, DAMNIT! GREEN, NOT BLUE! And yeah, I did see the movie. I'm glad they're finally making it _sorta _scary – I admit, I was surprised by how the werewolf looks, not to mention totally creeped out. I think I closed my eyes during one point of the werewolf scene, pathetic that I am. And Gary Oldman is a really good actor, but… not what I pictured for Sirius. Same with Remus. But oh well… we still have our dreams to imagine them as totally hot…

Oliverwoodschic – yes, I completely agree with you. The twins _are _really hot. Very, very, very hot. I like their hair, too! And I'm glad you like Janine/Sirius – I didn't think a lot of people would, but that just shows how much I know. And I had to give him a great girl, because he's a great guy. (In case nobody's noticed, I absolutely ADORE Sirius and Remus. They are by far the coolest people EVER!!! I think I'm going to write fics from their POV's when I'm done with this one and the D/Hr one…)

Okay, and I know it's kinda unfair of me to only mention those three, particularly when I have so many faithful reviewers (especially Lizzabeth Turner, if you ever want to be my other beta, let me know please), so I'm going to go ahead and add in all the people who reviewed on the last chapter. I love you guys!

So, to my faithful reviewers, thanx:

Dreammergurl2007, alenchic, FaLlInGsnowflake, MaD-4-u, cHoCoLaTeZ, YamiClara, BrainiacGirl, milky way bar, Claire-125, Jessie xxx, Oliverwoodschic, GryffindorGoddess28, The all mighty and powerfulM, Lizzabeth Turner, holly-evans, Kyo-grli91, Shadowrayne, Lyss, Lils, and Imscble! I 3 you guys! Thanks for sticking with me!

Right, so that's enough – you all get whatever dollies you want this time, because I am SIRIUSLY (stupid joke, I know, but it still cracks me up even though it's WAY overused) out of ideas! So whatever life-size dollies you want!

XOXO

Peaches


	17. Day at Diagon: Part II

Disclaimer: Characters and settings are property of J.K. Rowling. What you don't recognize is mine. And I _wish _I owned the Marauders (specifically Sirius and Remus) but most unfortunately, I do not.

X-X-X-X-X

"This looks questionable to me," Remus said dubiously, poking what was – supposedly – a simple meal of rice and chicken. It looked fairly normal, but it smelled strange.

"It's the spices," returned Jen knowledgeably.

"I still say it looks questionable." He glanced up into her hazel eyes – they were dancing. He frowned. "You put something in this," he accused.

"Now, really, Remus. Would I do that?"

"Don't trust her," advised Sirius from farther along the table. "I've always thought she was a shifty girl – and I _swear _I saw her reach over while you were in the loo."

Remus pushed the plate away, scrunching up his nose. Quite happily, Sirius reached across the table and began to dig into it with his fork. Remus shot him an annoyed look. "You said she'd done something to it, and there you go, eating it!"

"It's not _my _fault you believed me," retorted Sirius with a grin, still shoveling food into his mouth. Janine wrinkled her nose.

"Ugh. Sirius, eat like a proper wizard, _would _you?"

"Why? I think eating like an animal results in a special sort of animal magnetism, don't you?"

"That's the most ridiculous thing I've ever heard."

"You're only saying that because you know I'm right."

Jen giggled. "They're cute together, aren't they?"

"They act like they're six, not sixteen," retorted Remus, turning to her. They locked eyes for a few moments; he looked away first, clearing his throat uncomfortably. "So… erm… dating anybody?"

She gave him an amused smile. "That's a rather pathetic attempt at a conversation-starter, considering we go to school together," she pointed out. "You'd know if I were dating somebody, don't you think?"

Remus flushed, and she laughed. "Sorry. I've just… been out of it, is all. I haven't paid attention to anybody's love life – well, except for Sirius's, but his is rather hard to miss." He glanced down the table; Sirius was attempting to feed Janine some of Remus's chicken; Janine was pulling a madly grotesque face and trying to shove the fork away.

"Very true. And how fairs our brave Sir James and his Lady Love?"

"Not well, from where I'm standing…" Lily had placed Peter between herself and James; James was pleading with Peter to switch seats with him, while Lily was threatening Peter if he made any move to do so.

"You should _hear _her complain about James. One of us even _mentions _him – and poof! She's off again. She usually repeats herself, though, so we just stopped listening."

Marlene leaned over from Remus's other side, her face curious. "Well, well, well. Mr. Lupin is a good friend of James's. Perhaps he can tell us what the dashing Mr. Potter sees in the lovely Miss Evans."

"You're nutters, both of you," Remus mumbled, sinking into his seat. Both girls pounced for the kill.

"Ooh, you have to tell us-"

"-Come on, you're one of his best friends-"

"-We're _dying _to know-"

"-We won't tell anyone, we swear-"

"-_Please?"_ They were staring at him adoringly.

Remus scowled and looked at his feet.

"Oh, tell us!" said Jen impatiently. "Come on, who are we going to tell?" Remus scowled at her, too. "Besides Lily," she added quickly. Another scowl. "And Alyssa, of course." One more scowl. "Well, I suppose we can't tell Janine either, can we?"

Remus sighed. Marlene gave him an inquisitive look. "Oh, come on, just tell us. We really won't tell; we swear."

"I don't believe you."

"Smart move," muttered Jen. Marlene kicked her.

"Tell us," she ordered. He said nothing. "Please?" she asked sweetly, batting her eyelashes.

"He…" Remus sighed, and groaned into his hands. _Stupid women. Stupid women and their stupid charms and their stupid 'pleases' and their stupid eyelash batting… thing. Stupid me. _He continued, voice muffled. "He likes Lily because she holds out. I mean, it started as a stupid dare, but then she actually refused him. I think that surprised him, and it made him respect her for being the only one to say no."

Jen's scoff caused him to glance up from his hands. "Yeah, right. Lupin, we're not _that _stupid. I don't think there's a single girl in the world that James Potter respects, aside from his own mother."

"He respects Janine, and you, and Alyssa, and Marlene, and-"

"Oh, we're not falling for _that _one," said Marlene with a smile. "Come on, now. James doesn't really _respect _us. Not even Janine, and he's known her longer than he's known the rest of us."

Remus frowned. "You really don't know James as well as you think you do."

"Do you?"

"Beg pardon?"

"Do you?" Marlene repeated. "Do you know James as well as you're telling us you do? Honestly, Remus. Does he _really _respect Lily? Truth, please." _Yes, he does. Why doesn't anybody ever believe a word I say? Honestly, you'd think I spent all my time lying to people or something…_ Remus opened his mouth to answer, when–

"I heard my name mentioned." Remus blessed Lily in his mind, although, from the looks of Jen and Marlene, they didn't. "What about me?"

"Nothing."

"We were talking about…"

"…Alyssa's new perfume." Remus fought to keep from smirking. Alyssa was definitely _not _wearing any new perfume, because if she had been, he would have taken note. Lily seemed to realize that the two girls were lying, and it didn't even take a werewolf nose like he had.

"Right," she replied unconvincingly. "Sure. Anyway, I'm going to the loo."

"I'll go with you," said Marlene quickly, standing up. "I've got to go, too."

As the two girls walked off, Remus was fairly sure that Lily was firing questions at Marlene, who just shook her head and jerked her head towards the rest room. He shook his head.

_Females and their damned gossip._

X-X-X-X-X

"We'll meet you in a bit, all right?" Alyssa said, glancing at her watch. "Give us an hour or two before you decide to come looking for us."

"Fair enough," agreed James. "Where will you be?"

"My aunt's shop. She wanted us to drop by."

"Okay. We'll be in the apothecary if you finish early. I've run out of unicorn hairs."

"All right, then." Janine nodded at them. "See you." She winked at Sirius, a silent promise to meet up with him later, alone. James rolled his eyes, thinking, _Most people at least attempt to be discreet, but **nooo**…_

Remus tugged on his arm. "Come on." The girls were walking away. James jerked his arm from Remus's grasp and watched Lily until the girls turned a corner and disappeared down Regalia Lane. "You're really quite pathetic, staring after her like that," Remus said with a smirk.

"Nobody asked your opinion, Lupin."

"But he was happy to give it anyway," said Sirius, clapping him on a shoulder. "Mate, seriously – this is getting ridiculous. I dared you to do this in the _fourth year._ That's two years ago."

"Over," added Peter.

"Just give up on the girl and go on with your life. I have it on good authority that Lisa Kellerman has a crush on you. You know, from Hufflepuff?"

"Don't tell me you've joined the gossip chain of Hogwarts," Remus muttered, looking faintly disgusted.

"Don't be stupid. There is no gossip chain _of_ Hogwarts. Hogwarts _is_ a gossip chain."

"Or, you know, we could go back to the old-age idea of it being a _school._"

"Well, I guess there's that, too, but really, it's mostly a gossip chain."

James smoothly cut off whatever Remus might have replied. "Moving right along. I've dated Lisa before."

"No, you haven't," Peter said, looking briefly amused. "You dated her sister. Year above us; Ravenclaw."

"Same thing."

Remus looked annoyed. "No, it's not. James, you've got to start respecting women more. That's one of the reasons Lily doesn't even like you." Sirius, Peter, and James stared at him in disbelief. He shrugged. "It's true, you know."

"And how do you know this?" asked James, raising his voice slightly.

"I'm no stupid. Anybody with eyes can see that that's part of the reason she doesn't like you."

"Oh, and what's the other part?" James _definitely _sounded pissed off now.

Remus shook his head. "You'll get mad if I tell you."

"It's bit late for _getting _mad."

Remus gazed at James levelly. "Let's be clear on this, all right? I'm going to be perfectly honest with you – because that's what friends do. Lily doesn't like you because you're a bully. You step on people you deem less worthy than you. And then there's how you don't respect women – although you're no worse than Sirius (who glared at this point of Remus's narration) – and she wants someone who's going to take her on dates and be romantic, but not careful around her. That's the sort of person she is."

"And how do you know all that?"

Remus paused, and frowned. "Because I've noticed it. And I'm not the only one. I hear other guys talking about. And," he added, as he turned around, heading into the apothecary, "if you like Lily as much as you say you do, you would have already known all this without me telling you."

"Wait, wait!" James ran to catch up with Remus; his anger had faded into curiosity. "What _exactly _are you saying?"

"People are going to tell you that, if you really want to go on a date with Lily Evans, you're going to have to change for her. It's not that simple. The first thing you have to do is know what sort of person she wants. I suggest you watch her when she doesn't realize you're watching. No showing off or walking up to her. Just watch, and get to know what she's like." He ducked behind a shelf.

"You're making her sound like a lab rat, Moony," said Peter, who grinned. Remus was pushing aside ingredients; he peered through the shelves at his friends.

"I didn't mean it _that _way," he said with a half grin.

"One would hope not," agreed Sirius, picking up a jar from nearby. He opened it and sniffed; then he sneezed and coughed. James glanced at him, concerned. "Pixie dust," he grunted.

"Don't sniff it, idiot. You'll sneeze it all over the place," Remus said from the other aisle, shaking his head. "Oh, _gross. _Frog liver? Who the hell wants _that?"_

"You'd be surprised at the number of animals that eat that," Peter said.

"It's still gross." Remus paused, and said, with a grin in Sirius's direction, "I bet dogs eat it."

This, of course, began a full-scale argument of sorts between the three. Fortunately, this left James to his own thoughts, contemplating Remus's words.

X-X-X-X-X

A bell tinkled softly as Alyssa pushed the door open, peering around the shop cautiously. Although there had been a CLOSED sign on the door, Alyssa had revealed that she had a key hidden deep within her purse. "Auntie?" she called throughout the empty shop. "Auntie Cecilia?"

"Hello, girls!" The five of them jumped and stared up to the second layer of the shop – Cecilia, with layers of fabric draped across her shoulders, waved down at them. "Come upstairs, please!"

Chatting to one another about what this was all about, the girls went upstairs and entered Cecilia's second-floor workshop. Mannequins were swathed in multicolored fabrics; some of the dresses and robes were finished, others were not. "Auntie, did you want us for something? We promised to meet the boys in two hours, and-"

Cecilia cut her niece off, launching into a hurried explanation. "Well, we could do with a bit more publicity in this shop – all I ever get are the well-to-do purebloods and some of their friends in here, and they're such sticklers – so few of them spend money." She shook her head. "Anyway, I want to appeal to the masses, so I'm having a _huge _summer sale, and I want to get ready for it."

"Er… you _do _realize it's January, don't you? And that summer is a good six months away?"

"Yes, yes, of course," Cecilia said distractedly, dusting the skirt of a pale pink dress. She looked at them. "Like I said, we need publicity, and we need to start _now. _I've just put in a reservation for six pages in next month's _Witch Weekly_, and I need models."

Lily grasped where this was going the fastest. She gasped. "You want _us _to be your models?"

"Sure, why not? You're all lovely young ladies, and I will pay you, not to worry – it shouldn't take more than a few days of your time, and it'll all be over this holiday, of course – I can hire more models later, but I need to put out ads in the _Daily Prophet_ – oh, will you girls do a lady a favor and help me out?"

"YES!" they screeched in unison. Cecilia smiled in satisfaction.

"That's the spirit. Now, let's get you girls started. Let's begin with this one – hmm, Marlene, I think it will be _perfect _for you…"

X-X-X-X-X

"It's been two hours," Peter said, stifling a yawn.

"Two and a half, actually," corrected Remus. This earned him a glare for his friend. "Or two, whatever you prefer," he added hastily.

Sirius stuffed his hands in his pocket. "I hope they didn't actually _go _into the apothecary looking for us."

"Of course they did. We told them to, didn't we? If you and James hadn't dragged us off to Quality Quidditch Supplies when you spent half the morning there…"

"Well, you dragged us into Gambol and Jape's, and you went _there _earlier, too!"

"Yes, but we never bought anything!"

"Well, neither did I! Besides, there was this perfect Quidditch jumper-"

"-Which you didn't buy anyway-"

"They're not there, mates." Peter, Remus, and Sirius glanced at James, who had just run from the apothecary. "Must still be in Alyssa's aunt's shop, eh?"

"S'pose so," agreed Remus.

"What can girls _do _in a clothing shop for so long?"

"They're probably off with other guys," finished Sirius with a mournful air. This was normal for them. If, for any reason, they went shopping with girls, this always happened – the two sexes separated, and promised to meet up later. And, as usual, the girls never showed up on time.

"Don't be stupid; of course they didn't," Remus retorted, and then said with his own mournful air, "They're probably trying on clothes."

"Yeah, probably," agreed Peter. "Maybe we should just hang around here and wait…"

"No, the longer we hang out here, the longer they'll try on clothes that they don't plan on buying," said Sirius stubbornly.

"Sounds like somebody I know," muttered Remus. Sirius elbowed him.

"Let's go find them. Maybe we can drag them out of there and spare ourselves the torture of loitering about until dinner. Which," he added in an even more mournful tone than before, "Is five hours away."

"Don't sound so miserable, Padfoot," said James with a grin. "If you're that desperate for food, we could always go get some frog's liver from the apothecary."

Sirius stuffed snow down James's shirt in response, and the first snowball fight of the New Year began.

X-X-X-X-X

Jen shot the boys a peeved look as they entered the shop, dripping wet. "You boys were supposed to come find us after two hours was up," she grumbled. "It's been nearly three."

"Eek!" Alyssa shrieked the moment she saw them. "You're dripping water all over my aunt's shop!"

"Where've you lot been?" demanded Janine. "You've been missing all the fun!"

"How do we look?" Marlene added quickly, striking a pose. Lily was the last to appear, peering around her curly-haired friend's shoulder.

It was then that the boys noticed that the girls were wrapped up in expensive outfits. Janine, too, struck a pose. "Ta-da!" she clicked her tongue, and twirled. "What do you think?"

"I think that it's a good idea you're not wearing the dress Jen is," said Sirius at last. "Because periwinkle is definitely not your color."

"What the hell is periwinkle?" muttered Peter. James shrugged. Janine was glaring at Sirius.

"And the green is very nice," continued Sirius. "But it's a Slytherin color. Why don't you wear red?"

"Pillock," Remus said with a grin. "She can't wear red. _Marlene _is wearing red! Heaven forbid that they wear the… gasp… same color!"

"Oh, the horror!" Sirius cried theatrically, catching on. "Two women in the same color! Whatever should they do?" Then he stared at Remus, his eyes going wide. "How dare you, Lupin! You _dare _to wear black the same day I wear black? I demand you change!"

"Oh, no! I was wearing this first! I demand _you _change!"

James rolled his eyes, smirking. (The girls were busy scowling at Remus and Sirius, looking indignant, as Peter sniggered behind a hand). "The world would be so much easier if women just all wore the same thing in the same color."

"I concur," Remus said, grinning, but Janine cut him off dryly, saying, "Oh, yes, that would be so wonderful. We could all wear thick, flannel pajamas, all the time. Oh well. There go your fantasies of Lily in lingerie, Potter. I suppose they'll just have to _stay _fantasies, eh?"

The smirk vanished from James's face immediately. Lily glowered at Janine.

"Don't you go giving him ideas!"

Sirius wrapped an arm about Janine's waist. "And what about _me _seeing you in lingerie?"

Janine glowered at _him._ Jen, smirking, answered for her. "Given your previous statements, I'd say the chance of that happening is less than zero right now."

"Well, that's all right. I can make it up to her later by-"

"Sirius, nobody wants to know this!" Remus interjected, looking disgusted.

"…Doing her homework was what I was going to say," said Sirius with a grin of pure mischief. Janine rolled her eyes and extracted herself from Sirius's arms.

"In your dreams, Black."

Cecilia appeared then, juggling a few wrapped boxes, a camera, and several other outfits. "Oh! Good; we're just about finished today. I don't need all you girls here at the same time, but d'you suppose you could come in tomorrow, too?"

James exchanged looks with his friends as the girls and Cecilia made plans to meet up at another time the following day. With that, Cecilia handed each girl a box with a smile. "Are we ready to go yet?" he demanded in a bored tone.

That was a mistake. Lily's eyes flashed angrily. "Nobody's making you stay!"

James felt his temper rise to the surface, but he stamped on it and forced it down. "Right," he finally managed tersely. Lily sniffed disdainfully and turned to her friends.

"Come on, then."

As they exited the shop, Sirius slung an arm around Lily and Janine's shoulders. "You know I was just kidding back there," he said to Janine, who rolled her eyes and marched ahead to chat with Jen. Sirius's arm dropped to his side; he turned to Lily. "Why, Lily Flower. Have I mentioned that you look positively radiant today?"

X-X-X-X-X

It took Lily several moments to answer Sirius. She had managed to, somehow, avoid being left alone with him so far, but she knew her good luck wouldn't end.

Janine was her best friend, meaning that there was no way she could go after Sirius, which was fine – James would probably pummel him if she had even tried to. He'd done it to other guys before.

That didn't stop him from looking good, though.

At long last, Lily came up with a reply. "Stop flirting with me and go back to your girl, Black. I've decided you're not my type." She shrugged his arm off her shoulders and marched ahead, squeezing between Marlene and Alyssa and linking arms with the two. She could hear Sirius laughing behind her, and from the corner of her eye, watched him run up to Janine and slide an arm around her waist.

And no matter how many times she wriggled away or switched spots with Jen, placing the other girl between the pair, he always managed to find a way to hang onto her again.

X-X-X-X-X

The troupe sauntered down Diagon Alley, occasionally stopping to peer into shop windows and gush over certain items for sale (an activity usually taken up by the girls). Instead, the boys opted to toss snowballs at one another and occasionally a chance passerby.

As the afternoon wore on, the girls bought more and more, and generally dumped most of their shopping on Remus and Peter. Janine once handed a bag to Sirius, who held it for a few seconds and then promptly dumped it in the snow in an effort to duck as a pound of slush came his way, courtesy of James. The bag ended up on Remus's growing pile of bags and boxes.

Out of the corner of his eye, at some point in the early evening, James spotted a store – Scrivenshaft's Quill Shop. Not only did it have a handsome display of eagle feathers, but there were scrolls of stationary and notebooks in the shop. He tapped Sirius on the shoulder; his friend turned. "Just a sec," he said, and ran into the store.

Within moments, James had picked out a plain wine red notebook with crisp cream-colored parchment inside. He quickly went to the clerk and began rummaging around in his pockets for the correct amount. As an afterthought, he snatched up a new eagle quill – his old one was falling apart – and added it to his purchase, counting out money in his hands.

"Gift for a lady friend, eh?" suggested the clerk with a grin, looking at the red book.

"Sort of," replied James, handing over the money.

"Sort of?" she repeated, not taking the money. "It either is or it isn't."

"Well, she's not exactly a lady friend, and it's not really to give to her, it's… why the hell am I telling you this? It's none of your damn business. Now take the money and let me go."

"You're one grouchy customer," the clerk replied snootily. "I was _just _trying to be friendly." But she took the money anyway, and as he walked out, added in a frosty voice, "I'd tell you to have a good day, but I'm not altogether sure I want you to have one."

Ignoring her, James tucked the book into his pocket, leaving the quill in the bag for when the others asked what he had bought.

Remus had told James to observe Lily, and he figured the best way to do that was to make sure he _remembered _his observations by writing them down.

"Buy a diary, Potter?" Janine teased, looking at the notebooks in the window, her eyes lingering on a rich purple one.

"No," he lied quickly. "A quill."

"Right, right." She was still looking at the notebook. "You know, it's awfully nice. I could do with a diary."

"What for?" asked Lily. "You already have one, and you've written in it a grand total of two times."

"If I bought it for you, would you stop being a pain and let me hold you?" Sirius asked hopefully, looking at Janine, who was beginning to walk away.

"No."

"Feh." Sirius grunted. "Figures. Women are so hard to please."

"You're only digging your grave deeper," Alyssa informed him cheerfully. In James's absence, she had somehow acquired two more shopping bags, which she unloaded onto Peter, who was already holding seven others. "Now, come on. It's barely six o'clock, which means we have another two hours' worth of shopping to do before we have to meet for dinner. We can probably get around to another six or seven shops, if we hurry."

The boys groaned in unison.

X-X-X-X-X

When at last they trooped into the Leaky Cauldron for dinner (after numerous shops to numerous stores, where the girls did plenty more shopping and continued to drop their bags on poor Remus and Peter), the Garnets and the Potters were already seated around a large table. Interestingly enough, so were the Prewett brothers, along with a woman and two children that Lily didn't recognize.

Gideon was the first to notice them; he waved, his reddish-blond hair flopping into his eyes. "Hullo. Took you long enough. I've been starving, waiting for you lot."

"You're not the only one," muttered Sirius, as Janine asked curiously, "What are you doing here?"

"Not that we mind having you here," Marlene added, sliding into a seat beside Fabian.

Ignoring Janine's question, Gideon gestured to the redheaded woman who was clutching the hands of the two young boys. "You remember my sister, don't you?" He nudged the woman, who turned around and smiled at the group of nine. "Say hello," he added to his nephews.

Janine stepped forward, smiling. "Hullo, Molly."

"Hello yourself. You look a mite bigger than the last time I saw you. You were a tiny thing back then."

"Only eight," said Janine, with a grin. "And, as I recall, you were pregnant." Then she grinned. "And you are now, too. How far along?"

"Not very," admitted Molly, patting her slightly round stomach. She dragged the two boys out from behind her, gesturing. "Bill and Charlie," she explained with a smile. "Bill's four, and Charlie's two."

"Hello, boys." They both smiled shyly at her. She straightened up and glanced at Lily. "This is Molly Prewett – er… Molly Weasley. Fabian and Gideon's sister."

"It's nice to meet you," Lily said pleasantly, offering a hand to shake. "Lily Evans."

"And the girl who is sitting about making puppy eyes are your younger brother is Marlene McKinnon," added Jen helpfully. "I'm sure Fabian's told you all about his _darling _Marly." Both Fabian and Marlene glowered at her.

"Oh, my, yes, I've heard all about you," Molly said warmly. "It's a pleasure to finally meet you face-to-face." Lily noticed, with no small measure of amusement, that Fabian was turning a little red. "Fabian never shuts up about you," Molly continued cheerfully.

As she went on about how Fabian always talked about Marlene – he was getting redder by the second – Lily took the opportunity to take a good look at Molly. She was pretty, despite the slight bulge to her stomach. Molly's blue eyes sparkled with vivacity, and she seemed to a warm woman. Whoever she had married – Mr. Weasley, whoever he was – was clearly a very lucky man.

When at last they were all seated around the table – the shopping bags deposited in a corner – the families made no bones about digging into their food right away. Lily was content to simply eat and listen to the chatter around her.

"…Crazy, there's no way Puddlemere United will win this year, James, it'll certainly be the 'Pies…"

"You're off your rocker, Jeff!"

_Quidditch, _Lily thought dully, and stopped listening to them. Janine and Jen were also into a heated argument, although about an entirely unrelated subject.

"Rubbish," Janine said darkly. "McGonagall, leave Hogwarts? That'll be the day." She snorted. "Minerva McGonagall will be at Hogwarts 'til the day she dies."

"I'm just telling you what I heard!"

"And I'm telling you it's rubbish!"

"Look, I only heard-"

"Shut up, both of you," said Gideon from across the table. "That's a perfectly ridiculous argument. Besides," he added. "I doubt McGonagall would _ever _leave Hogwarts."

That was the wrong thing to say. "Hah!" Janine smirked triumphantly. "See, Gideon agrees! I'm right!" And they were off again.

Within an hour, with everyone being so ravenous, dinner was finished, but the chatter didn't stop. At least, not until Mr. Garnet tapped a knife against his empty wine glass. His nose was slightly red from the alcohol, just like Janine's got when she snuck some Firewhisky. Everybody hushed after several whistles and more taps against the wine glass. "I have something to say," he announced. He was looking directly at his children, holding each of their gazes in turn before speaking. Mrs. Garnet shifted. Lily glanced at her. She looked uncomfortable and a bit upset. Lily wondered why.

"What's up, Dad?" asked Jeffrey, leaning back in his seat.

Mr. Garnet cleared his throat. "I've decided it's time to… well, for lack of a better word, _retire _from the Magpies."

There was an instant uproar – "Dad, what's the matter with you?" Janine and Jeffrey demanded together. "Sir, you can't!" added James, his eyes widening. "You're the best captain ever of the 'Pies," Alyssa said pointedly. Sirius finished their protests, saying, "You _can't _leave!"

"I'm not finished." They quieted, although all seemed to be silently steaming. Lily, not being an avid fan of Quidditch, tried to assess Mr. Garnet's expression. He looked particularly somber. "As you kids remember us telling you, when I met your mother, I was in Auror training, although I dropped out to play Quidditch…" Lily guessed where this was going, but she waited for Mr. Garnet to drop the bomb. "Well, I've decided to rejoin the Aurors, effective immediately. I took a shortened version of tests, and the examination heads gauged me capable enough to skip the actual training." There was a very tense silence for several moments. Janine spoke first.

"I think it's a stupid idea." Everyone stared at her; she was red in the face, and it wasn't from Firewhisky. She looked furious. "Are you trying to get yourself killed?" Her voice was sharp.

"Janie, don't be rude," Mrs. Garnet said in a low voice, but for some reason, that made Janine angrier.

"Don't be rude. Don't be _rude! _Mum, you can't tell me you think this is a good idea!" Mrs. Garnet looked away. "You join the Aurors and you get onto You-Know-Who's hit list. It's like signing your own death warrant!"

"Janine, that's enough," Mr. Garnet said in a low voice. His face was pained slightly, but he looked stern. "Your mother's right, you're being very rude. And I'm not going to tolerate you speaking to me that way. Being an Auror is a noble profession…"

"A stupid one, you mean," she spat angrily. "D'you have a death wish, Dad?"

"That's _enough._" His voice was tight. "You're not going to change my mind on this. Things are getting worse, you _know _that. It won't be long before the massacres start. The attack on Diagon Alley a week back was just the start. It's going to get worse. The more Aurors there are, the easier to protect people."

Lily looked around at the Garnet brothers. All of them – even Perry, who had surely known what was coming, what with his "talents" and all – sat in a stony silence, glaring into their plates. Lily knew that all of them probably wanted to speak out angrily, but they knew better. Only Janine, her father's little princess, would ever dare speak out against him.

"There are plenty of people to do that!" Janine cried. Their table was beginning to attract attention from others. Sirius and James glowered at the staring people until they quickly turned around. "Why do you need to?"

"Not everyone can become an Auror, Janine!"

"So what? That doesn't mean _you _have to do something that could ultimately lead to your death, and I think-"

"THAT'S ENOUGH!" Mr. Garnet bellowed, standing up. Janine didn't even flinch. Mrs. Garnet, Mrs. Potter, and Mr. Potter – who was also an Auror – looked away, as did Molly Weasley and her brothers. From the corner of her eye, Lily could see little Charlie clinging to Bill's arm. Bill was covering his ears and squinting his eyes shut.

Janine looked completely defiant. She stood up as well, placing her fists on her hips and giving her father her deadliest glare. It was a look he returned; now Lily knew where she had gotten it from.

"If you're going to continue acting like an obnoxious brat, leave the dinner table and go home. Don't come back until you're ready to apologize to everyone – to _me _– for this incident. I expect better of you."

There was a long silence. Had it been Lily – or, most likely, anybody else – they would have sat down and mumbled an apology while silently seething. Janine didn't do any of these things.

"Fine, I'll go home. Come talk to me when you've realized how stupid this Auror thing is. Until then, don't bother." She stormed to the fireplace, grabbed a handful of floo powder from the floo jar, and shouted, "Garnet Manor!" And she was gone with a whirl of green flames.

Mr. Garnet looked around. "I'm sorry about that," he said, mostly in the direction of the Potters and the Prewetts. He glanced at his four sons. "Anymore objections?" None of them looked at him. "Good." He sat.

The rest of the time spent at the Leaky Cauldron passed uncomfortably. At the end, the girls bid the Potters, the Prewetts, and the boys goodbye, and then left with the Garnets for the Manor.

Everybody went directly to their respective beds with terse "goodnights" to one another. Lily was about to crawl into bed, when she changed her mind and went to Janine's room. Her friend's bed was empty.

Lily walked into the attached study, and found her friend curled up in a chair, fast asleep, an open book in her lap. Lily glanced at it, noting that it was a picture album. She closed the book and observed Janine for a moment. Her friend was a very heavy sleeper, and on those rare occasions when one _could _wake her up, she wasn't happy about it. Lily made a compromise by dragging a blanket around Janine's shoulders, hoping she'd be warm. She left the room, blowing out the candles as she went by.

Then she went to her own bed and fell into a deep, dreamless sleep.

X-X-X-X-X

**CHAPTER FINISHED!**

There we go, all finished. Sorry it took so long. I've been exhausted, and completely unable to sleep. I'm leaving again on Sunday, for about a week. I'll see if I can get another update out by then… but don't count on it. Anyway, I hope this chapter is satisfactory. Because you had to wait so long, I made it extra long. Staring with the next chapter (I hope) I'll try to send them to my betas. I would have done so with this one, but you guys have been really patient, waiting for almost a month, so I figured I'd just belt it out now. All I did was finish the chap, anyway. And I know I said I'd start listing my reviewers, but I'm feeling sleep because of lack of sleep for the last… 72 hours or so, and so I'm too lazy to do it and I'll do it for the people who review after this is posted. But if you reviewed previously, don't think I don't love you – because I do! I'm just tired.

Okay, I have a few questions to address… some that I forgot about, some that were asked, and some that I formulated on my own.

First of all – why did the guys spend the night at Garnet Manor? Short of the fact that they're all asleep, they _have _been drinking, and their parents know it. I don't know about you, but if _I _were a semi-inebriated teen, I would _not _want to floo home. And they can't apparate… and in any case, it's not all that important. The Potters and the Garnets are friends, and it gives a reasonable explanation as to why they all go shopping together.

Like I said before, the whole girls-being-models thing… it does have a purpose. You guys just don't know what it is yet. :)

Next question – Wouldn't Janine's brothers be mad if they knew she was snogging Sirius? Um, well, yes. But they don't _know _yet, do they? Only the gang and… well, _Snape_ know… trust me, blows will be exchanged and heads will be knocked when the brothers find out about it. That'll be in one of the upcoming chapters. And now it's just occurred to me that I have no logical explanation to why Snape of all people knows about them. Oh well. So sue me. (Although you won't get anything 'cause I've got nothing).

Okay, as to Peter going evil… he _will _go evil, and I have a good explanation for it. But it's not going to happen for a while. I honestly don't believe Peter can be all that bad of a guy. After all, he _was _a Marauder once. So he must be pretty decent at some point of his life. And he'll get evil eventually, I promise.

Next – I'm going to say this for (hopefully) the last time. NO, NO, NO! Lily and Sirius are _not _going to have a relationship. I just love winding James up. And as for Lily kissing Sirius… well, he _is _sexy as hell. If I were dancing with him, I'd kiss him too. But they won't end up together. I'm not that mean to my characters – and the most action Snape and Lily will ever get is an innocent kiss that never goes anywhere because they become all shy and embarrassed. If that – it's not likely. Snape will most likely just have an unrequited love for her. And if you didn't catch that, I'm joking. As for Snape and Janine… they're just friends, for the time being. It'll probably stay that way. And the reason Snape has a crush on a pair of Gryffindor girls… there's a reason for that, too. See? I'm thinking ahead. You should be proud of me. And there is a reason I chose Janine and not one of the other girls. The only other option I could have had for him having a crush on one of the girls is Alyssa, and I figured she already had Remus after her, so she didn't need Snape, too. And there is a reason why Janine and Alyssa are the only choices… but I'm not going to tell you what it is! MWAHAHAHA! Yes, mean, I know. But you'll figure it out in the future… during the post-Hogwarts years. Long time coming, I know. Sorry, but you have to wait.

Okay. About getting Remus a girl. I _really _can't do that until he gets back to Hogwarts, which is soon. (Very soon). But I'll do it, I promise. I feel bad for him too.

I admit that if the girls are asking if _Remus_ knows the "real" James, then Lily probably wouldn't know. And, well, she doesn't. And her friends know that, and try to tell her that. But Lily is a very stubborn person, and is not going to listen to the others. So she's just going to have to find out what a totally fantastic and wonderful, fuzzy guy James is (this is a joke, guys) on her own. And the girls telling Remus that he doesn't know James well enough… I probably should have phrased it better, but I'm not going to bother fixing it. What they mean is that no matter what Remus says, they're going to believe that James doesn't hold a lot of respect for women (as mention in the conversation) until he proves it, regardless of what anybody tells them. Which is why they question Remus about it.

And although this has nothing to do with the story – yes, I'm from India. Or rather, my parents were. In any case, I've been there five or six times, so I'm sort of used to being there and all. And yes, I had a great time. It was lots of fun visiting family and all that. And thanks for the birthday wishes!

Okay, now the questions posed by the new part of this chapter, the part you haven't read…

I know this might bother some people… why did I make Molly thin and curvaceous? I actually have a very good reason for it. But you won't find out what it is for a long time. And I realize how many times I've said this, but it's true. A lot of weird questions will be answered in post-Hogwarts time. But trust me, there's a reason I described her like this, and how she becomes the way JKR describes her in the book. And here's your hint: it has _a lot _to do with her brothers.

Why I made Mr. Garnet an Auror – Janine is a very sheltered girl. She's rich and lived her life in comfort. She's her Daddy's little girl, and is used to getting what she wants. For once, when her father does something she doesn't like, he refuses to change his mind for her, which, you probably will realize, is going to create some sort of rift, particularly over something this major. Keep in mind that she's only sixteen, and she doesn't want to lose her father. I'd feel the same in her position. And as for James's dad… James is used to it. Mr. Potter has been an Auror all of James's life, and so there's no concern of a sudden career profession that puts his father in danger because he's always _been _in danger. In any case, his profession change to that of an Auror set the scene for something important that happens in seventh year. Something _very _important. But you have to wait until then to see what it is!

I think that's all the questions – if there are more, please let me know. And leave a review, okay?

Next chapter (Whenever it comes): The gang goes back to Hogwarts; things in the outside world with Voldemort being to get more serious and hit closer to home; Bella is a pain in the ass; Remus finds a girl that has a crush on him; Janine realizes that she's in for a tough time when she and Sirius finally go public with their relationship; James begins his observations-in-a-diary about Lily Evans. Be on the lookout for it!


	18. Longest Train Ride Ever

Disclaimer: Characters and settings are property of J.K. Rowling. What you don't recognize is mine. And I _wish _I owned the Marauders (specifically Sirius and Remus) but most unfortunately, I do not.

X-X-X-X-X

Marlene chewed her lower lip helplessly for a few moments, and then looked up at a bemused Lily, who was watching her over the top of her book. "I'm stuck," she declared mournfully. She looked down at the playing cards, arranged into a game of solitaire. "And they haven't even blown up yet," she added.

Just then, the train jerked, sending Marlene, who was plopped on the floor, flying into the bench. The cards went with her, also flying into the side of the bench, where they exploded, leaving scorch marks on the wood and singeing the tips of Marlene's hair.

"Ahem. I stand corrected."

The compartment door slid open, and Alyssa, Jen, and Janine trooped in, each carrying an armful of candy. Lily frowned. "You shouldn't eat all that. It's not even lunch."

"Oh?" Janine asked airily. "Well then, in that case, we'll eat it all and not share it with you. Since you don't want to eat it before lunch, that is. Want a chocolate frog, Marly?"

"Yes ma'am." Marlene happily took one and crammed it in her mouth, examining the tips of her hair. "Y'know," she said, through a mouthful of chocolate, "maybe burning my hair isn't so bad. At least I can get it cut, now."

"But your hair doesn't need cutting," pointed out Jen.

"Yes it does. It looks awful."

"Only because you singed it."

"I'll cut it for you," offered Alyssa. "And I won't even charge. Aren't I nice?"

Her friends ignored her. Lily quickly buried her nose in her book again, but Janine snatched it away, looking at the title. "_The Handbook of Hippogriff Psychology_," she read aloud, and stared at her friend. "Right, well that clinches it. You've officially gone off the deep end." She tossed the book back to Lily, who caught it.

"It's an interesting book!" she said defensively.

"Right. And I'm in love with Severus Snape."

"When's the wedding, then?" Janine scowled and flopped in a chair. Since that evening at the Leaky Cauldron, everyone had walked on tenterhooks around Janine, carefully not mentioning that night at all. Only Lily felt safe enough to joke around Janine. So long as she didn't bring up her friend's father, that is.

Since that very memorable night at the Leaky Cauldron, Janine had steadfastly refused to speak to her father, or even acknowledge him, save to leave the room whenever he entered. She had taken to eating her meals in her bedroom, and after the first awkward dinner with the other Garnets, her friends had joined her there.

Personally, Lily thought that this dispute had gone on long enough, but when she'd broached the subject with her friend, Janine had bitten her head off, and so Lily left her alone. Janine and her father would probably make up on their own without her help.

But it didn't seem that way, as things stood. When the Garnets had come to see their sons and daughter (and her friends) off at the train, Janine had coolly said goodbye to her mother and brothers, and then marched onto the train without a word to her father. Lily, who had been watching, saw the sad look in his eyes, but carefully did not mention it.

The door slid open once more, jolting Lily from her thoughts, and James Potter poked his head in, and then was abruptly shoved in. He went sprawling on the floor as Sirius ambled in behind him. He cheerfully plopped down next to Janine, gave her a perfunctory kiss on the cheek, and then propped his feet up on James's back. James grunted and shoved his feet off. He sat up, crossing his legs, and rearranged his glasses. "What happened to you?" he asked Marlene.

"Cards blew up while I was playing solitaire."

"Oh. That sucks. Did you win before it happened?"

"No."

"You really ought to get those self-solving cards. All you have to do is set up, and the cards go about playing themselves."

"That's stupid," Lily said, looking up from her book and frowning. "What would be the point of playing cards?"

"The point of playing cards doesn't _change,_" James said in what he thought was a reasonable voice. After all, the answer to her question was obvious. "You win either way, and possibly win some money if you've bet some. And that's the point, isn't it?"

"And I suppose," Lily continued in a venomous voice, "that's also the reason for cheating? It doesn't matter who does the work so long as it gets done and you get an O, is that it?"

"Well, that's more or less the reason behind cheating, yeah. Not to say that I do it… after all, I don't need to cheat off people. I'm just naturally brilliant."

"You're incorrigible," Lily snapped, and returned to her book, not even looking up when Sirius remarked, "Well, he may be brilliant, but _I'm _not. What does incorrigible mean?" Lily restrained herself from tossing her book at him.

"Inveterate," said Remus from the doorway. Sirius gave him a puzzled look. "That's what incorrigible means. Or, rather, it's a synonym."

"But I don't know what that means either!"

"How you got any O's on your O.W.L.'s is a mystery to me," Remus said with a long-suffering sigh. "Hopeless, Padfoot."

"Nicknames again," muttered Janine and Jen in unison. The three boys (now joined by Peter, who entered with his arms full of candy) ignored them.

"What's hopeless?" Sirius asked curiously.

"Incorrigible."

"Stop that, you're confusing me!"

Remus scowled. "That's what it means, idiot! Incorrigible and inveterate mean hopeless! Irredeemable! Incurable! A lost case, my friend!"

"Oh." There was a pause. "Why didn't you just say that in the first place?"

Remus smacked himself in the forehead. "Why is it that my efforts to educate you go useless?"

"Because he's Sirius and no matter how much you hammer these things into his tiny skull, he still doesn't get them," said Janine in an affectionate tone. Sirius pretended to be insulted.

"I'll have you know I'm highly intelligent!"

Lily sighed and stood. Everyone glanced at her. "Where are you going?" asked Alyssa curiously.

"To find an empty compartment. Maybe the prefects' compartment. Anywhere where I can read in _peace!"_

"I don't know why you'd want to. You're reading a book on Hippogriff psychology," pointed out Jen reasonably. Lily shot her a poisonous look and stalked out.

The others exchanged glances. "She'll come back," Janine finally said confidently. "She'll get bored without our company and get desperate for some amusement. And then she'll come back. Until then… anybody up for a game of Strip Poker?"

X-X-X-X-X

Lily settled into her new seat with a contented sigh. The prefects' compartment was indeed empty, as she'd expected it would be. Of the few prefects who'd gone home for the holidays, few of them would want to take time away from their friends to spend it in the prefects' compartment, particularly when there were no orders to be given out.

Opening her book, she went back to the page she had been at.

_Hippogriffs often experience behavioral changes when there is a difference in a normal diet. For example, the wizard Fallon Kendrick, a noted hippogriff breeder of the 1200s, fed a baby hippogriff lettuce throughout its infancy, and as the hippogriff grew, he noticed a certain distaste towards violence of any sort, not to mention the hippogriff refused to go within five feet of blood or meat…_

"…Telling you, this is the perfect place to meet, there'll be nobody in h-… oh, look. It's the Mudblood."

Lily gave a very heavy sigh and looked up into the heavy-lidded eyes of Bellatrix Lestrange. Bellatrix was smirking at her. Lily reached for her wand, ready to tell Bellatrix to shove off, when she noticed that the Slytherin girl was flanked by some of her cronies – Narcissa, Regulus, Antonin Dolohov, Evan Rosier, and Margaret Blair (another Slytherin seventh year). She expelled a breath as her blood ran cold. No way could she take on six Slytherins, four of whom were older than she was.

Narcissa rolled her eyes, looking bored. "Bella, kick the bitch out and let's finish this."

"Now, now, Narcissa, is that nice? You shouldn't call prefects names," Bellatrix chided mockingly. She laughed, and her little "court" followed suit. With an effort, Lily didn't roll her eyes. Bellatrix turned to her. "Why don't you run along on your way, Mudblood? We won't even give you trouble today." She sneered elegantly. "There. See how polite we're being to you."

"You can't be in here," Lily retorted. "It's a prefects' compartment, and _I _am a prefect. I have clearance to be here; you lot don't. I suggest you leave."

"Maybe I don't _want _to leave."

"Well, I don't either."

Bellatrix's eyes flashed. "Don't take that insolent tone with _me, _Evans. I'm worth more than your whole family is."

Lily's blood began to boil, and she opened her mouth to reply, as Margaret examined her nails, saying, "Oh, for heaven's sake, Bella. Just have the boys get rid of her. I don't know why you insist on playing your silly little games."

Lily set her lip stubbornly. "I'm not leaving."

"Fine, then _we _will," Regulus snapped. He tugged on his older cousin's sleeve. "Let's go, Bella."

"No, no. Let's stay and chat with the Mudblood, shall we?"

"Bella." Regulus actually was beginning to look worried. "Let's go. We're going to get in trouble ag-"

"I didn't know you were such a coward, Reg," Evan sneered. "If I didn't know better, I'd think you're more like your brother than you pretend to be."

Regulus scowled. "I'm _nothing _like him!"

"In any case, it's not us Gryffindors that are the cowards who turn tail and run," Lily said rudely. "That's _you _lot."

"We're not cowards, none of us here," Antonin snarled. "And if you know what's good for you, you'll run while we're letting you, Evans."

"I'm not kidding!" Regulus snapped. "You pay attention to me – I'm nothing like Sirius, you hear me?"

"Don't be an idiot," Bella snapped in response. "Just shut up so we can get rid of her."

"Bella, you know me – I'm _nothing _like-"

"Shut up!" Rosier snarled. "For God's sake, we're supposed to be kicking Evans out of here!"

Lily's hand tightened around her wand. No, she couldn't duel with six others – but if they threw the first spell, then she was prepared to fight back.

X-X-X-X-X

Alexandra Walsh – Alexia to her friends – nervously backed away from the six Slytherins in front of her. All of them had their backs to her, but Alexia could hear Lily Evans's voice from within the compartment. It sounded as though she were alone.

Alexia quickly turned tail and fled. Yes, she was a Gryffindor. But no, she wasn't going to try and take on six Slytherins with only Lily Evans to help her. Lily Evans might be able to hold her own, but _she _certainly couldn't.

She felt about to cry. _Why **did** the Hat put me in Gryffindor, anyway? Almost five years of being here – and I'm **still **no braver than the smallest first year._

She ran down the hall. James Potter and his friends had to be _somewhere. _But where? Everybody knew of James's infatuation with Lily – he'd be sure to take care of her.

Not for the first time, Alexia wished fervently that she had her friend Joanne Gainsborough's courage.

Joanne! Jo would know what to do. She always did. Alexia made an abrupt about-turn and ran back to their compartment. She was there in two minutes. Jo looked up from where she was playing Exploding Snap with their other friends and smiled. "That was quick. Decided you didn't need to go to the loo after all?"

"Lily Evans - Bellatrix Lestrange – Slytherins-" Alexia panted. The smile vanished from Jo's face at once.

"Where?"

"Prefect's Comp-"

"Right, right. Go get the Gryffindor sixth years while I go help Lily!"

"But – I don't know where-"

"Don't be stupid!" Jo snapped, all congeniality gone. "You practically have a radar for Remus Lupin; you find him!" And she ran out, leaving their friends bewildered.

"Help me," Alexia moaned to her other friends. Within moments, all were on their feet and they spread out across the train, searching for the other sixth-years.

X-X-X-X-X

"Royal flush!" James proclaimed triumphantly. Everybody glared at him. As it stood, he was the only one with all his clothes on. He made a slow grin at his friends, and his eyes alighted on Janine. He knew that he could have – and _should _have – picked Jen, who was scowling, wearing only her blouse with her bra and knickers underneath. Fortunately for her, she'd chosen to wear a long shirt. James didn't want to be cruel, and he wanted to torment Sirius a little – payback for the incident with Lily at the Garnets'. "Garnet. Shirt."

Glowering, she unbuttoned her blouse and tossed it aside. James really couldn't have cared less for the fact that he was seeing a girl he'd known his entire life in her bra and a skirt, with only one sock on, but it was obvious that Sirius minded a great deal. He glared at Remus and Peter whenever they surreptitiously glanced at her chest.

"I quit," Marlene said irritably. "There's no point playing when James always wins. He's calling all the shots now."

"Spoilsport," James said with a smirking grin. "If you want to buy out, it's five galleons, remember-"

The door slammed open, and a petite brunette poked her head in, panting heavily. Her eyes widened as they took in the half-dressed sixteen-year-olds, finally gluing themselves to Remus's bare chest. Both he and the girl flushed a bright purple. "I… er… sorry…"

"Did you want something?" Janine asked impatiently. "As you can see, we're rather – er – busy."

"I… er…" She finally tore her eyes away from a still-coloring Remus and stared at James. "Lily Evans is in trouble!" she blurted.

James recognized her suddenly – she was one of the Gryffindor fifth-years, Alexis or something. He leapt to his feet, closely followed by the others. "Where?" he demanded hoarsely.

"Prefects' compartment – oh, it's Bellatrix Lestrange and her cron-" Alexia yelped as what felt like a mad stampede of wildebeest raced past her. "Wait for me!" she wailed, and took off after them, only to find that they'd left the car and moved to the next one. She sighed and broke into a fast-paced walk, trying to remember where the prefects' compartment was and simultaneously rid her mind of what Remus Lupin looked like without his shirt on…

X-X-X-X-X

Lily crossed her arms over her chest, halfway torn between disbelief and amusement. Not only had Rosier's comment to Regulus about being like his brother riled the youngest Slytherin up, it had startled a fully-fledged argument between Regulus and everybody else.

In fact, they had quite forgotten she was there.

Part of Lily contemplated just going quietly back to her book, but then she'd be blatantly ignoring the Slytherins, in which case, if they decided to attack her suddenly, she wouldn't be ready. She could, of course, try and slip past them, but they were blocking the doorway, which effectively ruled out _that _plan of escape.

Her only other option was to sit here and wait for them to notice her again. Oh, joy.

Fortunately for her, somebody abruptly shoved Antonin Dolohov, causing him to crash into Rosier and Margaret Blair. He grabbed hold of both of them, and they all went tumbling to the ground, yelping.

Lily glanced up at the curly-haired blonde who had interrupted the Slytherin meeting. Lily instantly recognized her as Joanne Gainsborough, one of the fifth-year Gryffindor prefects. In a moment, Lily remembered all she'd ever known about the girl. She was young for her age, having only just turned fifteen; she was also very petite, like Lily herself; she was a bit rash and very bold, and not one to back down from a challenge. Lily had often noticed her defending younger students, and had commended her for it. She liked the girl.

"Leave her alone!" Jo said angrily.

"Keep out of this; it's none of your business," Narcissa snapped. Rosier leapt to his feet and pointed his wand at the Gryffindor girl.

"Get out of here," he snarled, just as Dolohov added, "You'll be sorry for that, you little whore."

It became immediately obvious that Jo had never really borne the brunt of much enmity from the Slytherin end, or at least not as much as Lily had. It showed in her eyes; warm brown eyes filled with hurt, astonishment, and anger. Lily sighed. She may have liked Jo, but the girl didn't know how to stand up to the lowliest Slytherins.

To stand up to them, you couldn't let them see when they got to you.

"Oh, look," Margaret taunted. "We hurt the little girl's feelings."

"Enough of that!" snapped Bellatrix. "Take care of her while I get Evans!"

She'd just lunged for Lily, who had pulled out her wand, when a loud shout of, "Expelliarmus!" Bellatrix's wand flew from her hands and she went flying, sprawling at Lily's feet.

Lily looked up to thank her savior, a half-smile on her face, but it quickly fell away when she saw James Potter, smirking as he held Bellatrix's wand. Had she bothered to look into his eyes, she would have discovered that the smirk was only a ruse – he was livid. Lily opened her mouth to snap that she didn't need him to be her knight in shining armor when she caught sight of all of her friends clustered behind him, all with their wands out, all half-dressed.

Her mouth fell open.

"I suggest you lot leave now," Janine began in her most dangerous voice. Both Rosier and Dolohov were staring at her, taking in her half-dressed state. Lily barely registered that all of them were missing articles of clothing – with the obvious exception of James and Jo, who still had her wand trained threateningly on Dolohov and Narcissa.

"And you're going to make us leave, now are you, love?" Bellatrix asked snidely from her heap at Lily's feet.

"If we have to."

Bellatrix stood up and smirked. "My, my. Are you so desperate for a boyfriend that you'll wander around half-naked?"

"I don't need to. Boys flock to my feet anyway. I realize that you sometimes get confused with how the guys look at _me _with adoration and _you _with revulsion, but… well, I'll make leeway for you since I consider you blind, deaf, and, of course, extremely stupid."

The two glared at one another, making their mutual loathing well known. Not that it wasn't already renowned about the school. The two were infamous for constantly engaging in fist fights and duels which, usually, had to be broken up by Lily or a professor.

In the end (to Lily's amazement), Bellatrix beckoned to her cronies and they left, shoving the sixth-year Gryffindors (and one fifth-year) out of the way. Regulus paused and gave Janine a considering look while surreptitiously giving Sirius a scathing look as well. Then he stormed off.

Sirius sighed. "I think my brother fancies you," he told Janine.

"Bollocks. He's adorable, though." The boys glowered at her. "In that evil, very berk-ish sort of way, of course," she added quickly. "He's too young for me."

"One year," pointed out Jen.

"Year and a half," Janine corrected.

"Whatever."

Janine turned to Jo, who was standing shyly off to the side. Lily opened her mouth to thank her for her help, but Janine cut Lily off smoothly. "Thanks," she said coolly. "You can go, now." She sounded as though she were dismissing a servant; Jo glowered. Janine turned her back on her, facing Lily. "You all right?"

"Yes, fine. In fact, until you lot had shown up, they'd quite forgotten I was there." Janine raised her eyebrows; Lily decided not to elaborate. "Why are you dressed like that?" She paused. "Or, more accurately, why _aren't_ you dressed?"

"I'm wearing a skirt."

"But no blouse."

She smirked. "Potter made me take it off." Lily turned to glare at a rapidly-turning-red James, until Janine added, "We were playing strip poker. James kept winning," she added unnecessarily, glowering in James's direction. "In any case, that little fifth-year… you know… brown hair…"

"Alexia," Jo offered coldly.

"Still here, are you? Yes, well, her – she ran in, and interrupted us. So, naturally, we had to come to your aid."

"My hero," Lily said sarcastically.

"_Heroine,_" Janine corrected. "Honestly, you ought to be politically correct, Lil." Lily rolled her eyes, and turned to Jo.

"Thanks for your help," she said sincerely. "And please thank Alexandra for me."

Jo gave her a smile, even if it wasn't very warm. "She goes by Alexia. I'm Jo."

"Yes, I know. Fifth-year prefect, right?" Jo nodded. "I really do appreciate-"

"Lily, hurry up," interrupted Jen loudly. "We're waiting on you."

Lily sighed. "Maybe I'll just stay here and read-"

"No." Janine's voice was vehement. "You will _not._" Lily gave her a startled look. "Now come on," she continued authoritatively. She strode out the compartment door, quickly followed by the others. Jo glowered after her.

"Pushy, isn't she?"

"She's got a heart of gold, though," insisted Lily quickly. Jo rolled her eyes. "Thanks again," Lily added, scooting off her seat and following her friends. She waved to Jo, who gave her a half-hearted wave back.

Lily caught up with Janine and gave her a scowl. "You were awfully rude to Jo," she pointed out irritably. "There was no cause for it."

"Oh, what do you care? She's just a fifth year."

"She's a person, too, you know!"

"Lily, relax," Sirius interjected, slinging an arm around Janine. "She probably won't even remember it by tomorrow." Lily thought of Jo's glare after Janine and wasn't so sure. "Anyway, we don't mix with the fifth-years, so I doubt she'll care even if she _does _remember." He leaned around Janine and peered at Lily. "Those Slytherins didn't hurt you or anything, did they? Because if they did, I'll take care of them."

Lily was about to snap that she didn't need _him _to be her knight in shining armor any more than she needed James, but she noticed that his gray eyes had darkened so much that they were nearly black. And she remembered that three of her tormentors had been his family members. No wonder he was furious. She felt a twinge of regret. "No, I'm fine, Sirius, but thanks for offering."

Meanwhile, James was quietly watching the exchange. _Not fair. I actually do something to help her, and she glowers at me. Sirius offers to help her, and she thanks him. _"Not fair!"

He hadn't realized he'd said this last part aloud until Marlene turned around and gave him a quizzical look. "What's not fair?"

"I… oh… nothing. Forget it."

She gazed at him for a few minutes, and then rolled her eyes. "You're losing your marbles."

_Great. And to top it all off, McKinnon think I'm insane. And so do the Garnet brothers, _he added, remembering his meeting with them in the Magical Menagerie. _Just great. Next thing you know, the entire school will catch wind of it and they'll ship me off to St. Mungo's. Perfect._

Alyssa was frowning at him. "You've got this painful look on your face. Are you okay?"

"I'm fine!" James snapped it out. She gave him an affronted look.

"Well, if you _want _to be belligerent… Hello, Damien."

Damien, who had been passing them on the way back to his own compartment, nodded to her and continued walking on. After he got two feet away from them, he froze and spun around, dropping all the pumpkin pasties in his arms. "What the _hell?" _he spluttered.

They turned, and Janine shot him a quizzical look before turning a bright red and shying away from Sirius, wrapping her arms around her torso. "We were playing poker," she offered weakly.

Damien stormed through their group, his hand closed on her arm, and he yanked her away from Sirius. He glowered at the younger boy, who gave him an astonished look. "Leave me sister alone, Black, or I'll break your face." His voice was even, now. He whirled on his sister. "I have no idea what the hell you're playing at, but-"

"First of all, we were playing poker, and you'd do well to notice that I'm not the _only one _half-dressed. Second of all, Sirius and I are dating, and have been for a month." She glowered at him. "So I'll thank you not to snap at him."

Damien was breathing very hard through his nose. "He'll hurt you."

"Oh, I doubt it." Sirius looked outraged, but Janine imperceptibly shook her head at him. "We're not getting married, for heaven's sake. We're not even going steady. We're just-"

"Shagging?" Damien suggested with a venomous tone of voice.

"No! And even if we were, it's _none _of your business, and-"

"It is _so _my business! You're my sister!"

"I'm not a child!"

"You're sixteen!"

"Since when does being sixteen make me a child?"

James very much wanted to cover his ears with his hands. Lily wanted to bury her head under her pillow. Marlene and Alyssa were trying very hard to pretend that they didn't know either of the Garnets who were making a ruckus. Remus was staring out the window, trying to pretend that he couldn't hear a word of what was going on. Peter was absorbed in reading and rereading a Chocolate Frog card. Jen was heartily amused. Sirius wasn't.

"It's not like we've done anything major…"

It turned out that Sirius saying that was the worst thing possible, because Damien swung around and slammed his fist into Sirius's jaw. He went flying into the wall, and swore vehemently as he got up. "You didn't have to do _that!" _he snapped, holding his face when he'd finished cursing.

"Ooooh…" Janine looked very upset, pushing her brother out of the way and running to Sirius. It was clear that Sirius expected to be coddled by sympathy. He expected wrong.

"You stupid idiot! What did you go running your mouth off like that for? I had the situation under control!"

"Oh, for Merlin's sake!" James finally lost his temper. "We're all standing in the corridor half-dressed – well, you lot are, _I'm _not, and neither is Damien or Lily – shouting at one another because Janine has a new boyfriend when she's had millions before! Why is this _important?"_

"Potter-"

"Stop whinging, Garnet. If your sister could handle Evan Rosier for years – yes, _everybody _knows about you snogging him since you were fourteen – I think she can handle Sirius!"

There was a long silence. Lily paused – she felt grateful to James, in an absurd way, for making them all shut up once and for all. She cleared her throat – everyone looked at her. "I think we should all go back to our compartments and… er… get dressed." Damien opened his mouth – possibly to argue again – and she added, "Before anybody else comes along, that is."

Damien glowered at Lily, and then nodded tightly. "This conversation is _not _over," he warned his sister, stalking off.

"I'll be waiting!" she shouted at his retreating back. When he disappeared into a compartment, she turned to Lily and James. "Thanks."

"Anything to shut the pair of you up," James answered. "Now can we _please _go before something _more _embarrassing happens?"

As they headed back to the compartment, Remus tapped Janine's shoulder. She glanced at him. "You know what this means, don't you?" She gave him a puzzled look. "You and Sirius. Now that Damien knows… everybody's going to know, soon. You guys are going public."

"You make them sound like some scandalous story for the… what's that nonsense magazine called? _The Quibbler_," Marlene said with a giggle.

"Have you _looked _at the pair of them?" pointed out Jen with a grin, taking in the pair's half-dressed states. "They're practically a scandalous story _waiting _to happen!"

Janine rolled her eyes. "You guys are being ridiculous. So people know that we're dating. What's the big deal?"

"I'll tell you what the big deal is." Alyssa deigned to elaborate. "Girls are going to be mobbing you in the halls, now that our resident heartthrob is officially off the market."

"That's stupid. Of course they won't be-"

"Oh, God, it _is _true!" They all stopped – a Ravenclaw seventh-year girl stood in front of them, her hands on her hips and she surveyed them. "Sirius Black really _is _dating Janine Garnet! And I thought those seventh-year Gryffindors were just making things up…"

"I'm still available," Sirius offered, his eyes sliding over her. Janine smacked him, hard.

"No, you're not!"

"I thought we agreed no commitments!"

"Well, we changed our minds!"

"Ahem, _you _changed your mind!"

"Right, and I'm changing _your _mind _for _you!"

They glared at one another, and finally Sirius sighed helplessly, and shrugged at the girl. "Sorry. You could check back in a few weeks, though… I might be open then."

"Don't bet on it," Janine grumbled, and grabbed hold of Sirius's arm. "No chance, sweetheart. If we're going to be dating, then you're _mine._" And she promptly pushed the Ravenclaw seventh-year out of the way, dragging Sirius down the hall and into their compartment. The group could hear them bickering through the compartment door.

"Honestly, it's not like you _own _me…"

"Sirius Black, when you date a girl, you do _not _agree to go off with another one right in front of her!"

"Are you saying I should have done it behind your back? I thought you appreciate honesty!"

"Argh…"

The Ravenclaw glanced at James. "You're his best friend. How long d'you think their relationship will last?"

James looked thoughtful. "Honestly? Seeing as it's Sirius, it might not even last until we get back to Hogwarts. But you never know…"

She nodded. "Right. Well, then you tell him that Meredith Watson is single if he's interested, okay? Ravenclaw seventh-year."

"I'll do that."

"Thanks." She disappeared.

Alyssa sighed. "I told her so. She _never _listens to me…"

"Come on. The way they're arguing, they might have killed each other already, and we'll get some _real _peace and quiet for once." Jen set off jogging down the hall.

X-X-X-X-X

Lily paused in the doorway to her dormitory, feeling its warmth seep into her veins. She had missed Hogwarts, just as she always did whenever she left.

Jen pushed her in. "Hey, let's move it, sweetheart!"

Lily stuck her tongue out, and fell onto her bed, not bothering to put any of her clothes and personals away in her wardrobe.

Predictably, that was the first thing Marlene did – walk in, open her trunk, and begin putting things away. She gave the other girls a reproving look. "When classes start up tomorrow, you'll wish you'd put your things away when you can't even find a _wrinkled _uniform."

"I left my uniforms and robes here," Janine said around a loud yawn.

"Not _all _of us have enough clothes at home that we can leave our whole wardrobe here at Hogwarts," Lily replied, getting off her bed and beginning to put things away. "What happened between you and Sirius?"

"We kissed and made up. Literally."

"When?"

"Before you got back to the compartment."

"I'd _wondered _why it had gone all quiet…" Alyssa mused, just as Jen asked scornfully, "What, you did all that in the space of, like, one minute? And that Ravenclaw's not going to leave him alone. It's only going to get worse for you over the next month or so."

"Yeah, sure." Janine rolled her eyes. "Hogwarts' gossip chain will find something else to fixate on by tomorrow morning."

X-X-X-X-X

Apparently, Hogwarts' gossip chain _didn't _find anything else to fixate on. Along the way to breakfast, Janine was accosted by no less than six girls, two of whom claimed that Janine had stolen _her _man.

Janine, never much of a morning person, was in an even worse mood than normal, and her friends knew enough to leave her be until she perked up. Sirius, of course, did _not _know this, and so when he angled to kiss her cheek in the morning, she swatted him away with a grouchy snap of, "Leave me alone!"

Sirius stared at her, bewildered, and then at her four friends, who were calmly eating their breakfast and ignoring the fifth member of their group. Evidently, Sirius decided that Jen would be most forthcoming with details, and so he pushed Lily over (leaving her very disgruntled, particularly when he seized her fork from her hand and began to eat off her plate) and demanded to know what was going on.

"Oh, you know – Janine's always in a crappy mood in the morning."

"Then a kiss from me ought to cheer her up!"

"Oh, and people have been bothering her since it got out you were dating."

Sirius groaned audibly. "Does that mean she's going to ignore me all morning?" Jen opened her mouth; Sirius turned to Janine without waiting for an answer. "Are you going to ignore me all morning? Because I was thinking we could skip Transfiguration right before lunch, and-"

"It would not be wise to skip my class first day of term, Mr. Black." Sirius blanched and twisted in his seat to send Professor McGonagall a winning smile.

"Wouldn't dream of it, Minnie." Her nostrils flared at the nickname, and she stalked off. Janine was giving him a dirty look. "Oh, what _now?"_

"She's going to be in a crappy mood now that you called her that. Don't you _ever _know when to stop?"

He gave her a puzzled look. "Geez, you _are _in a bad mood, aren't you?"

A girl from Hufflepuff tapped Janine on the shoulder, and the brunette whirled, snapping, "Yes! Yes, I'm dating Sirius Black, and _no, _we are _not _going to be breaking up anytime soon, so would you _please _leave me alone!"

The girl looked terrified. "Er… I only wanted to ask if I could have that book back that you borrowed from me before the hols…"

Janine flushed brightly and muttered, "Oh, right. Yeah, I'll get it for you after classes." The girl looked relieved and sped away. Lily glowered at Janine, who snapped, "That's right, blame me after I've been accosted by girls _all morning!"_

"Oh, look!" They all glanced at Alyssa, who was grinning down at the note in her hands.

"What, what is it?" Lily demanded.

"It's from my Auntie! She said we're going to be in the February edition of _Witch Weekly_! Isn't that exciting?"

"Thrilling," Sirius agreed dully. He was watching Janine tiredly. "Does this mean you're too mad to snog during Transfiguration?"

A girl leaned over and said, "Well, if she is, _I'm _not, so…"

Janine slammed her goblet down, sloshing pumpkin juice everywhere, and stormed out. She did not speak to Sirius for the rest of the morning. She did not speak to Jen, either, particularly when Jen pointed out that it had not been Sirius's fault and they _had _warned her, so what was she so grumpy about?

X-X-X-X-X

James observed the five girls as they walked to lunch, ahead of him. He dully glanced at his watch, and then looked up and glared at Sirius. Stupid prat.

"Don't glare at me. It isn't my fault you weren't paying attention in class. All I wanted you to do was ask Janine if she was still mad at me even though I didn't _do _anything. If you hadn't been staring at Evans's hair, we might not have gotten caught…"

"We wouldn't have gotten detention if _you _hadn't ran your mouth off to McGonagall! Honestly… 'Well, you see, Professor, Jamie here and I have been racing around on enchanted roller skates, and we kept banging into walls, so we're really not quite right in the head yet and are so incapacitated that we are finding it really quite impossible to pay attention to your otherwise fascinating lectures.' My God, Sirius, you _knew _she was in a bad mood… In fact, it was you that put her in it…"

"Oh, so we have detention… so what?"

"Sirius, it's the first day of term, and- oh, shut up."

"I'm not talking, you were-"

"Shut up!" James hissed, and jogged ahead so he could hear the girls more carefully.

"…Get that pendant from? It's beautiful, Lily… and I haven't seen you take it off…" James grinned slightly, silently thanking Marlene for asking that question. He wanted to hear her response.

"Oh… it was a gift."

"From?"

"From James," Janine butted in. "And she hasn't taken it off, you're right." Then she puffed her lower lip out. "You should have seen the crappy present he got _me._"

"Oh, he got you a too-small Quidditch jumper too, did he?" Jen asked dully. Clearly, they were on speaking terms again. "He must think we're five years old, or something."

"Or that we're all insignificant when compared to his beautiful Lily," added Marlene, but she was grinning. "James got _me _Chocolate Frogs."

"Lucky you. Wish he'd gotten _me _Chocolate Frogs… what am I supposed to do with a jumper six sizes too small for me?"

Lily was quietly studying the pendant. "I just think it's nice, that's all," she interrupted suddenly. "It doesn't mean I… _like _Potter, or anything, I just-"

"Ah! Snivellus!" Lily and her friends whirled, and so did James.

Sirius had cornered Snape and was threateningly waving his wand about, looking as though he'd like nothing better than to shove it up Snape's beaky nose. James snapped his head around and stared at Lily, who was glaring in his direction. _I'm not even **doing **anything! _James thought furiously.

Lily stormed up to him, and… past him. She gave Sirius a hard shove, and he went flying. "This has _got _to stop, Sirius, and I'm not kidding anymore!"

"Lily, I was just-"

"About to hex Snape, were you? I'm warning you, Sirius, I'm going to dump you in detention for the rest of the year if you don't cut it out-"

"What's going on here?" They all looked at McGonagall.

"Sirius was about to hex Snape," Lily said promptly. "And I was stopping him."

McGonagall's eyes flashed. "I am only going to say this once, and since you lot – you Gryffindor sixth years, yes you girls too – are the most offending, I want you all to listen _very carefully. _I will _not _tolerate any more fights in these halls. _Yes, _Miss Garnet, I _do _know about your fight with Bellatrix Black before the end of term. And I will suspend you from the Quidditch Team – yes, from _my own team _– if it does not stop. Am I clear?" They all nodded mutely. "Good. Run along, then – not _you, _Mr. Black. We have to organize your detention. The rest of you go to lunch." She nodded to Remus, Peter, and James, who were lingering around. "You lot too. Shoo!"

They scuttled away, and when they were out of earshot, James remembered something. "Be right back!" he said, turning down a hallway suddenly. Remus and Peter stared after him.

"Where're you going?" Peter demanded. "It's lunch – I'm hungry-"

"I'm not asking you to come!" James shouted back, and ran into the bathroom. It appeared empty, and so he dropped his bag on the floor and yanked out the red journal and a self-inking quill. Chewing on the quill for a moment, he slid down until his back was against the wall and began to write.

_"January 4, 1976, 12:09 PM –_

_Subject appears to have a fondness for getting others in trouble with teachers. Also does not like when people hex Snape. Keeps defending him when in trouble."_

He paused.

_"May have possible crush on Snape. Must investigate."_

Pause.

_"Will kill Snape if have to."_

"Potter, who the _hell _are you talking to?" James glanced up – Fabian Prewett was giving him a bizarre look that seemed to suggest James was mad. "What was that about killing Snape?"

"Oh – er… nothing." James cursed inwardly and mentally promised himself to _check _and make sure nobody was in the bathroom next time he wanted to write.

Unfortunately, problems came calling when Rosier stepped out of another stall and stared at him. When he spoke, his voice was oddly strangled – as though it were choked with laughter. "Potter – are you writing in a _diary?"_

"It's not a diary!" James said crossly, quickly.

_Too _quickly, in Rosier's opinion. "You have a diary! My God, Potter – what are you, some sort of girl?"

"Rosier, leave him alone," Fabian said finally. "Just leave him be-"

"What, Prewett, got a crush on Potter? Feel the need to defend him? Figures – girly boys like that-" James opened his mouth furiously, but Fabian spoke first.

"That's enough, Rosier," he said authoritatively. "Get on with you to lunch."

Rosier scowled. "Sod off, Prewett, I wasn't even talking to you before. Why don't _you _get on to lunch?"

"Ten points from Slytherin!" Fabian tapped his Head Boy's badge. "And you'd best remember who you're speaking to, Rosier."

"Hmph." Rosier scoffed and stalked out. Fabian turned to James.

"So… Potter… why _do _you have a diary?"

X-X-X-X-X

A/n: OMG, I am SOOOO sorry about waiting so long to update! I was gone for a really long time – out of the country, couldn't get to a computer, etc. – and then I came back and had major writer's block. I'm _still _not happy with this chapter, but I'm so sick of waiting to post, and I feel SO awful for leaving you guys hanging for, like, almost two months! To compensate, I made an extra long chapter, and I STILL didn't fit everything I wanted to. I wanted to put something about Voldemort in this chapter, but it didn't fit, so I'll see what I can do for the upcoming chapters…

I know I haven't updated 'What It Takes' either, but I'm SERIOUSLY stumped on ideas for that one. I'll update when I actually come up with something that MAKES SENSE.

Anyway, about this chapter – I don't really like it, it just sort of seems a waste of space. If it's awful, please tell me – I'll rewrite it. Thanks to my beta Nikki for reading it over for me – Lizzabeth Turner… I did email it to you, but I dunno if you got it, so I'll try again with the next chapter… Anyway, this is kind of a filler chapter – serves no purpose except that I was _so _sick of them being on vacation that I just HAD to get them back to school. I know it's kinda rushed, but I got lazy. I'll try and do better next chapter.

To all you guys who wanted Remus to get a new girlfriend – well, they're not dating YET, but it's getting there, right? And I want to be clear – Jo is going to become important later, so please-please-please don't forget her, okay?

I hope you guys liked James's observations – they'll get funnier as we go along. Now, I just have to decide whether or not I want to torture James by making Lily find this book at some point…

Next Chapter: (If I can fit in what I WANT to fit in) – the Quidditch match vs. Hufflepuff, and James begins to plan a Valentine's Day Treat for Lily… and Sirius decides to help! You can probably imagine how THAT one's going to turn out… Also, the reaction to the Witch Weekly modeling thingamajig, and Sirius gets a howler… More observations, more Quidditch, more James-being-an-idiot, and more SNOGGING! Yay! Stay tuned, guys!

Last thing – school starts in two weeks for me (sniff!) which means I'm going to have VERY LIMITED TIME to update and write. Please be patient with me; I'm doing the best I can but, as usual, I've done zip-zero-zilch of my homework, and I have pre-season starting next week… and I have a cold. So I'm really sorry, but you guys are gonna have to be patient with me – I love you guys that are sticking with me; you rock! HP Plushies (Any ones you want, I'll even let you dip into my stash of Ron Weasley ones) to everyone! Take as many as you want!

Thanks for sticking with me, and thank-you so-so-so-so-so-so much to all my reviewers – I'll mention those of you that review after this one goes up in the next chapter, provided I'm not the lazy ass I've been lately!

XOXO Peaches


	19. The Non Diary

Disclaimer: Characters and settings are property of J.K. Rowling. What you don't recognize is mine. And I _wish _I owned the Marauders (specifically Sirius and Remus) but most unfortunately, I do not.

X-X-X-X-X

Where were you?" Sirius demanded when James sank into his seat during Charms. Professor Flitwick gave him a reproving look for being late, but mercifully didn't take points off. "I got a detention from Minnie," Sirius added proudly.

"Not exactly something to be proud of, Padfoot," Remus muttered from the table behind them. They turned to face Remus and Peter. "So where were you?" he prompted.

"In the bathroom."

"Through _all _of lunch?" Peter demanded skeptically.

"Boys, if you don't mind, the notes are to the _front…_" That was Professor Flitwick, speaking wearily. They all glanced up and grinned cheekily. Somebody sniffed disdainfully from off to the far right; James had a very good idea of who it was. He turned and grinned widely at Lily, who was determinedly staring at the blackboard. He saw her green eyes flick in his direction, and the look of distaste on her face spread a little. Alyssa, sitting next to her, giggled into her hand when James waved at them.

"Mr. Potter…"

"Yes, Professor?"

"Would you mind paying attention while you're in class?"

"Of course not, Professor." James gave him a winning smile.

Professor Flitwick sighed. "Good, good." He turned to the class, his smile now back in place. "Would somebody be so kind as to tell our illustrious trouble-makers what we are to be studying today?" Predictably, Lily's hand shot up, along with several others. "Ah! Miss Evans!"

"The Disillusionment Charm, Professor."

"Correct, correct!" Professor Flitwick clapped his hands. "Now, you've read about it before – it turns you into a Human Chameleon! Very useful, this charm is. Now, the incantation-"

When James was sufficiently certain that Flitwick was no longer paying attention to them, he turned around and said, in a low voice, "I've begun… er… a scientific project."

"Wow," Sirius said softly. James glanced at him. "_Scientific. _That's a big word. D'you know what it means?" He grinned when James shot him a particularly venomous look.

"Shut up, Padfoot," Remus ordered, and then turned to James with a slightly suspicious look. "Now what's this about some _scientific _project of yours?"

"Simple, Moony. You see, you told me to _observe _Lily until I know her better. So… that's what I'm doing."

"I beg your pardon?"

"I'm watching her, and writing down my observations in a di- a notebook!"

Remus's mouth opened and closed several times. He seemed at a loss for what to say. Finally, Peter butted in. "Well, that's nice and all, but what does that have to do with why you were missing lunch?"

James sighed. "I was writing in the notebook, imbecile!"

"For _that long?"_

"Well… er… no. I was in the bathroom, and… um… Rosier came and thought I was… er… writing in a diary."

Peter's eyebrows rose. "Well, technically, that's what you're doing, isn't it?"

A bit of paper flicked onto the table in front of Remus; all four boys paused and looked down at it. "Maybe it's a bomb," Remus said, smirking, when none of them moved to touch it. James and Sirius peered at him perplexedly. "Muggle humor. Never mind."

Finally, Sirius reached for it and opened it up. Then he broke into a grin. "What? What?" Peter asked, reaching for it, but Sirius snatched it out of his reach.

"_PAY ATTENTION! –Lily._"

Sirius turned and waved cheekily at Lily, who was giving them a scowl. James reached into his bag and pulled out his red notebook, then dipped his quill into his inkpot and scribbled, "_January 4, 1976, 1:17 PM – Subject is big stickler for paying attention in class. Looks very pretty when scowls._"

Sirius leaned over and peered at the notebook. "You're mental, you know that?"

"Shut up." James snapped the book shut and slid it back into his bag. Remus was giving him the most peculiar look. "What?"

"When I said 'observe Lily,' that wasn't quite what I meant."

"It works for me."

"But if she ever finds it…"

"Do you _honestly _think I'm that careless to leave this thing lying around?"

X-X-X-X-X

"Hey! James!" Sirius and James turned as Marlene McKinnon rushed towards them. Sirius gave her a puzzled look.

"Hang on, you don't take Divination with us… aren't you in Arithmancy with Lily, Remus, and Peter?"

"Yes," she said breathlessly, and held out a red notebook. "You left this in the Charms classroom, though, and Lily and I noticed it. We were the last ones leaving…"

James flushed as he took it. "Er… thanks. Did you… er… read it?"

She gave him an appalled look. "Good heavens, no! You don't read another person's diary!"

"It's not a diary," James snapped impatiently. Marlene stared at him. "It's… er… an appointment book?"

"Oh, so you can keep track of which girl you're taking to the Astronomy Tower, and when?" She giggled before James could answer. "Well, I'd best be off to Arithmancy… I'll talk to you all later-"

"Wait!" James called, just as she began to go in the opposite direction. She glanced back at him. "When you found this… er… was Remus there?"

She gave him a strange look. "No, he'd gone ahead with Peter."

James let out a sigh of relief. "Thank God."

She gave him a puzzled look. "You're mental, you know that?"

"Don't worry; I've been telling him that for years," said Sirius with a long-suffering sigh. "In fact, I just told him that this afternoon… but he never seems to get-"

"Come on, Sirius, don't keep the girl from her class." James grabbed his arm and towed him away.

When they were a safe distance away, Sirius grinned and said, "Thought you weren't going to leave it lying around."

"Just shut up."

X-X-X-X-X

"Have fun in Divination?" Lily asked cheerfully as Janine and Alyssa trooped morosely into lunch. "We have a good time in Arithmancy," she added with a smirk.

"You should've dropped it fourth year, like me, and started Muggle Studies," Jen said, pushing her food around her plate.

"Shut up," muttered Alyssa, dropping into a seat. "I swear, if I hear McDougal tell me _again _that staring into my partner's eyes is going to make me see through the haze surrounding the future, I'll-"

"What are you studying?" interrupted Lily, cutting off what would have been a very long tirade.

"Oh, I don't know. I don't even think it's a method of Divination – I swear McDougal makes it up." Janine studied her nails. "'Look into the eyes of the one across from you… lose yourself in them… free your mind…' Hmph!" She propped her feet up on the spot next to her, not looking at her food. "You know who my partner was? Kenneth Jugson! Like I'm going to get lost in _his _eyes…"

"Who's Kenneth Jugson?" Perry asked from nearby, his eyes curiously.

"An idiot," Janine groused.

"A Slytherin," Jen added, and Perry nodded, as though that explained everything.

"You're right," he added at Janine. "I don't think losing oneself in the eyes of another is a method of Divination. At least not one that I've heard of."

"Well, that clinches it," Janine muttered moodily. "After all, he knows everything."

"Who did Sirius partner?" Marlene asked.

"James."

At that moment, the subject of their conversation entered with his friends. They dropped into seats further along the table, although both Sirius and James kept sending furtive glances down the table. Remus was raising his eyes to the enchanted ceiling, and Peter was stuffing his face with food.

"Why do they keep looking at us?" Jen asked impatiently.

"That's a stupid question," Marlene replied. "Sirius wants to know if Janine is over her snit, and James is fascinated by Lily like he always is." She turned to Lily. "By the way, couldn't you just go out with him? He'd probably leave us all alone." Lily glowered at her. "Well, come on, be sensible about it."

"She's right," Janine said suddenly. Everyone stared at her. "He hasn't asked you out in weeks, and I have it from a very reliable source that he hasn't _dated _anybody in weeks, either."

"Who's this reliable source?" Alyssa asked suspiciously.

"Sirius."

"_He's _reliable?"

"When it comes to James's business and sharing it with the world, he is."

Lily paused for a moment, and then said, "Let me think about it." Her friends exchanged surprised looks, until – "Well, I've thought about it. No."

"Don't be obnoxious, Evans," Janine ordered. "You don't even _know _James."

"He doesn't know _me, _and he's convinced he's in love with me." Lily sighed as Janine opened her mouth, and quickly cut her off. "Listen, he… he's arrogant. I can't abide that."

"So?" Jen asked. "_Janine _is arrogant."

"Well, I can't abide _her _either, but I can't seem to get rid of her." Janine threw a roll at both Lily and Jen, who dissolved into giggles as they ducked.

"Thanks, guys. It's always nice to know when one is loved." She drummed her fingers on the countertop. "I'm telling you, you just don't know him. And he has changed, the last couple of weeks. Fewer and fewer pranks."

"He saved Snape's life, and he _hates _Snape," Marlene added. "That's got to count for something."

"He doesn't hex Snape, either. That's mostly Sirius, now…" Alyssa looked thoughtful. "And you know, we knew James when we were kids." She indicated herself, Jen, and Janine. "It's just that he hasn't changed much since then. He's still got a kid's mind."

"Then when he grows up, I'll consider him."

"So if he acts his age, you'll go out with him?" Jen asked.

"I didn't say that. Look," Lily explained hastily, "I'm sure James is – er – a nice guy and all, like you've been saying, but I just don't date guys like him. They're not my type. And if James bothered to get to _know _me at all, I might have considered it, but he didn't. We spent over three years hating each other, and all of a sudden he decides he's in love with me and asks me out. That doesn't say much to me."

"She has a point," Alyssa mumbled fairly.

"Sure, she does." Janine shrugged. "Listen, he's just… _spontaneous._ James isn't half as bad as you think he is."

"Fine, I believe you." They all stared at her. "Now, as soon as _he _proves it to _me, _I'll _consider _going out with him."

X-X-X-X-X

"What d'you suppose they're talking about?" James wondered casually.

"Probably nothing to do with us," replied Remus. "Just stop staring, James. And yes, they have noticed." He glanced at Sirius. "You too. She'll come and talk to you when she's good and ready."

"If 'good and ready' doesn't come soon, I'm going off with that seventh-year Ravenclaw from the train," Sirius muttered in response.

"Meredith Watson. She has a name, you know," Remus said mildly, toying with his food. "And if you take _that _sort of outlook on your relationship, you may as well not bother having one."

"She yells at me a lot, you know," murmured Sirius thoughtfully. They all glanced at him. "Oh, it's not entirely her fault. I yell, too. Like before break, we were arguing about which is better, milk or dark chocolate…"

"That's not much of an argument, Padfoot," James said, grinning. "What was the decision?"

"Well, we never reached one. I kissed her, and she shut up. Although she _did _try and slap me afterwards, but she wasn't trying very hard, so I know she didn't mean it, but dark chocolate _is _better."

"I don't get your relationship," Peter mumbled gloomily.

"That makes two of us, Wormtail," added James.

"Three," finished Remus.

Sirius shook his head. "It's not difficult. We're just-"

"I don't want to know, Sirius. I _really _don't want to know," interrupted Remus, poking at his potatoes. He looked up at James, who was glancing down the table anxiously, raking his hand through his hair. "I told you not to do that," Remus said irritably, then paused and added, "…Didn't I?"

"You might have. I can't remember."

"Of course you can't," Sirius interjected sensibly. "Because everyone tells you not to do it all the time, so how would you know which people have told you and which ones haven't?"

"Did that make sense?"

"Made sense to me."

"That's because you're a bit special, mate," Peter said, waving a spoon in Sirius's direction. "You understand things that the rest of us don't. Like Crumple-Horned Snorkacks, for example."

"Hey!" Sirius looked injured. "There really is one living in the basement of James's mansion, I _swear!"_

James nodded emphatically. "He's right, you know. I've seen it."

Remus rolled his eyes. "Don't tell me _you _believe in them, too."

Both Sirius and James managed to look offended. "_Believe _in them?" Sirius yelped. "They _exist, _Moony!"

Remus shook his head while Peter busied himself with his food, attempting not to take sides in the age-old argument between Remus and Sirius (although, apparently, James had now joined it).

"Psst – hey!" The four of them glanced up as Jen King leaned over from their end of the table. "Hogsmeade trip on Valentine's Day – pass it on!"

"It's January, Jennie," Sirius told her. "It's too early for Valentine's Day." He cast a mournful look down the table and added, "And anyway, it doesn't look like my date wants to go with me."

"Poor baby," she said, and sniggered. "I'm sure you can find some other girl - cough Meredith Watson cough to help mend your broken heart."

"This broken heart can't be mended," he retorted tragically. "For it is not just broken. It has been stomped on, wrenched, torn to shreds, pierced by the icy tip of her sword-"

"Stop whinging, would you?" Remus interrupted him. "I guarantee, by tomorrow morning, she'll be in a fine mood and your heart will be fixed."

X-X-X-X-X

"Where's Peter? He's going to be late to breakfast," Remus mumbled, hefting his bag higher up on his shoulder. "Sirius, too, don't tell me they're _still _asleep-"

James coughed, looking at the end of the hall. Sirius was carrying Janine over his shoulder into a nearby classroom, and she was laughing, pounding on his back. Remus blinked as the door slammed shut behind the pair of them.

"Oh. Well, I guess Sirius is going to be late anyway, but at least he's not asleep."

"Ten to one they skip Potions this morning," James offered.

"Probably," Remus said, grabbing James's shirtsleeve. "C'mon. _We'll _be late for breakfast, and then have to endure waiting until lunch, and I can't_ stand _your moaning all through Potions and Care of Magical Creatures-"

They strode through the doors and flopped into seats at the Gryffindor table, quickly filling up their plates. Just as Peter ran in (shirt untucked, tie not tied, bag slipping off shoulder), the mail arrived. "Post's here," Remus said dully, glancing up. He didn't know why he bothered. There was rarely every anything for him.

James was reading a letter that had arrived with his eagle owl, Maleficium. "From Mum," he explained, passing off the Chocolate Frogs that had arrived with it to Remus and Peter, who eagerly dug into them. "She says to say hello to all of you," he said, folding it up.

"Anything interesting?"

"Nah. Not really."

Most of the owls were flying away, but at that moment, a harassed-looking Barn owl flew in and dropped it in front of James, holding a red envelope in its beak. "A Howler?" he thought, looking startled. "From _who?"_

"From _whom, _you mean," Remus mumbled, and then nodded at the envelope, which was now beginning to smoke. "Better open it and get it over with, then."

Looking a slightly green color, James tentatively reached out and slit the envelope open. A pair of furious, male voices erupted, and everyone in the Great Hall swiveled to watch.

"SIRIUS BLACK, YOU KEEP YOUR DIRTY PAWS OFF OUR SISTER!"

"IF YOU EVEN **_THINK _**WE'RE GOING TO LET YOU GET AWAY WITH HURTING HER, YOU'RE WRONG!"

"IF WE EVER GET A NOTE HOME FROM HER SAYING YOU'VE BROKEN HER HEART OR HURT HER FEELINGS, WE'LL KILL YOU AND WE PROMISE YOU THAT!"

"DO US ALL A FAVOR AND TOSS YOURSELF IN THE LAKE BEFORE ANYTHING HAPPENS TO HER!"

"YOU'VE BEEN WARNED, YOU UNDERSTAND?"

"YOU'D BETTER HOPE WE NEVER SEE YOU AGAIN, BECAUSE IF WE DO, WE'LL BEAT YOU TO A BLOODY PULP! GOT IT?"

"DON'T YOU SMIRK AT THIS HOWLER LIKE THAT, BLACK! WE KNOW YOUR REPUTATION!"

"IF YOU EVEN PUT ONE **_TOE _**OUT OF LINE WITH OUR SISTER AND ACT LIKE ANYTHING BUT A **_PERFECT GENTLEMAN, _**THEY'LL NEVER FIND YOUR REMAINS!"

"WATCH YOURSELF, BLACK!"

The Howler burst into flames as people burst into laughter. The Barn owl had already taken off. James stared at Remus, who was across from him and stared back.

Finally – "Well," James said, wiping the charred remains of the envelope away, "it's too bad he wasn't here to hear that, isn't it?"

X-X-X-X-X

Time flew by, and talk of the Howler (and the Janine-dating-Sirius-which-meant-he-was-no-longer-available-and-inspired-mass-suicides-among-girls-(kidding) thing) was soon over and forgotten. Everyday, James's notebook filled up with more observations…

_January 6, 1976, 9:42 AM –_

_Subject is very cranky in the morning and has been eating sherbet balls non-stop. Has been seen levitating slightly in classes. Was very angry when offered to help her pick up the quills she had dropped five minutes ago. May be time of the month. Will go ask._

_January 6, 1976, 9:46 AM –_

_Subject has given me black eye. Is **definitely** time of the month._

…And so on.

The book filled up quickly, despite Sirius's teasing, Remus's tutting, and all the other things that were averse to him writing this down. "You got lucky last time," Remus kept warning him. "How long do you think your luck could _possibly _last, James?"

James ignored these warnings, however, and continued to write in his diary – "Ahem! It is _not _a diary, thank you!" - …Right. So anyway…

He continued to write in his di – excuse me, _notebook _– ("Thank you!") – right down until…

_February 8, 1976, 2:12 PM -_

****

_Am very angry. Subject has been asked out on Valentine's Day by a certain member of the opposite sex – Andy Cobalt. Me thinks Cobalt is trying to get back at all of us because we are Subject's best friend's friends (a.k.a. Janine's friends) and because she dumped him for Sirius. Am not sure, however._

_Gave Cobalt very bad nosebleed. Subject was very angry and gave **me **nosebleed. Professor M. was very angry. Gave the three of us detention. Also gave Sirius detention for being there, although he didn't do anything. Back to Subject._

_Subject does not like Quidditch very much. Got very irked when friends discussed upcoming match against Hufflepuff. Must resolve not to discuss Quidditch much when dating._

"James, what the hell? We've got practice!" Janine threateningly waved her broomstick in his direction, and he jumped aside just in time to miss a swipe from her. "Stop writing in your damned diary and let's go!"

"It's _not _a diary!"

"Potter, I don't give a _shit _what it is! Let's _GO!"_

James ducked another swipe of the broomstick and ran up to his dormitory. Upon entering, he grimaced – it was a wreck. He tossed the book on his bed and began searching for a clean Quidditch jumper. He heard the door open and shouted, "Oy, Sirius! Got a spare jumper?"

"Why, where are yours?" It wasn't Sirius, it was Remus. James pulled his head back from under the bed and looked at his friend, who was loaded down with heavy books. "And put a charm on your glasses, because it's raining."

"Figures," James muttered grouchily, and poked his head back under the bed. "Moony!" he shouted, his voice muffled. "I haven't got a jumper to wear for Quidditch, and if I'm not down in five, Janine will concuss me!"

"Yes, yes, of course. She's just edgy because she's waiting for her copy of _Witch Weekly _to come in the post."

James muttered something that sounded distinctly like 'girly crap.'

"Yes, I know it is," Remus went on conversationally. "But you have to admit, she's got a right to be excited. She's already made both Sirius and myself swear that we'll pick up our own copies and keep them. You know, the modeling thing?" James started to extract himself from under his bed, dragging something that _might _have been a jumper, but might not have been. "Look out, by the way. You're going to bump your head." _THUMP. _"Told you so."

James let out an impressive expletive, his eyes watering as he clutched a ratty blue jumper. He sniffed it, and turned green. "Ugh. Must resolve to let the house-elves do my laundry."

"Here, you can borrow one of mine. It's not a Quidditch one, but it should do all right for the time being." Remus fished a sweater out of his very neat dresser and tossed it to James, who caught it and set about tearing off his school shirt. "Valentine's Day is coming up. Are you going to order roses this year and ask Lily to go out with you on the _day _of Valentine's Day, just like you do _every _year?"

"No, I'm going to do something really spectacular," James replied through Remus's jumper. He forced it over his head, knocking his glasses askew.

"Take your glasses off before you change, James," Remus said absently, but he was frowning as James began to hunt for his broomstick. "So what are you planning to do, then?"

"Haven't decided yet," he said thickly, searching under his bed again. When his search proved fruitless, he began to search under Sirius's bed. "Sirius said he'll help me, though."

"Okay, the fact that you wanted to do something 'spectacular' is bad enough. If you get Sirius to help you, she'll _never _go out with you."

"Nonsense. Look at Sirius – half the girls _love _him! He must have some good ideas on how to be all romantic and shit."

"First off, if you want Lily to like you, do _not _say 'romantic and shit.' That's bound to make _any _girl hate you." Remus paused and said, "So what are Sirius and Janine doing for Valentine's Day?"

"I don't know, shagging under the Whomping Willow, maybe?" James pulled back from Sirius's bed, scowling. "What the hell? Where's my broomstick?"

"Check the bathroom," Remus suggested.

"What?" James demanded, walking towards it. "That's the stupidest thing I've ever heard, it's not going to be in – oh. Well, then." He stepped out of the bathroom sheepishly, clutching his broomstick. "No idea how it got in there."

"Maybe Sirius used it to scratch his back in the shower," Remus said with a grin.

"Eww, Moony, that is well and truly disgusting. Bad mental image; thanks a lot. Anyway, why are you so interesting in Valentine's Day, haven't you got a – oh. Oh!Sorry, Moony. Alyssa and all that."

Remus shrugged, stuffing his hands in his pockets. "I'm over her."

"Right." James stared at his friend shrewdly. "So who's she going with?"

Remus gave him a miserable look. "Davy Gudgeon. You know, that Hufflepuff twat who-"

"-Nearly lost his eye to the Whomping Willow, I know. So why don't you ask someone else?"

"I don't know who to."

"How about that fifth-year girl?"

"Joanne Gainsborough? Nah. She's… um… no offense, but a bit too much like Lily."

"Don't like those stubborn birds, eh? But no, I meant the other one. The one who blushes ever since she saw you with your shirt off during that memorable Poker game on the ride back."

"Alexia Walsh?" Remus looked thoughtful. "Yeah, I guess I could."

"There you go! Don't let Comforts see you all mopey and depressed on Valentine's Day – look happy, and she'll know what she's missing and come crawling back to you!"

"Doubtful. Gudgeon gave her a mammoth pearl necklace for Christmas – Marlene told me. Although she said she thinks it's hideous and gaudy, but I think she only said that to make me feel better."

"Y'know, I've been wondering where those pearls she's always wearing came from…" James caught the despondent look on Remus's face and hastily added, "But she's right, they _are _hideous and I'll bet she only wears them so she doesn't hurt Gudgeon's feelings…"

"You don't have to say that," Remus said with a shrug. "I mean, we started dating when we were _fourteen, _right? It hardly matters now… it wasn't like we were going to be together forever, I mean nobody sticks around with their school sweetheart forever…" Remus drew himself up, looking determined. "I'm really _not _going to let this get to me. I'm going to go ask Alexia to go with me to Hogsmeade _right now._" He glanced at James. "You'd better get to practice. And James?"

James was already halfway out the door, having grabbed his shin guards on the way. "Hmm?"

"…Don't embarrass Lily _too _much on Valentine's Day, okay?" James grinned and loped out the door.

Remus started to lay his books out on his bed, and paused. "Bugger. He forgot the water-repelling charm…"

X-X-X-X-X

James swiped irritably at his glasses. "This is ridiculous!" he snapped at Damien Garnet, who was fiercely beating a Bludger in Sirius's direction. "I can't see a bloody thing!"

"Then put a charm on your glasses, idiot!" Janine howled against the wind, flying by. "The match is tomorrow and we _have to be ready!"_

James glowered after her. "Oh, thanks _a lot," _he grumbled. "If I knew what the charm was, don't you think I'd already have put it on?"

"_Impervius._" James swiveled around and found himself face to face with Jen King, who had her wand pointed at him. He was already finding it easier to see.

"Hey, thanks."

"No problem." She smiled. "So you going to send roses to Lily this year? Because I remember last year's spectacle, where she threw them out the window, declaring for all the world to hear that she hated you…"

"Thanks for reminding me," he grumbled, making a face. "No, seriously. I'm going to do something _really great _this year. She'll love it, I guarantee."

"Potter, King, you two are not on the team to _bloody sit and chat all day._" Damien Garnet was bearing down on them, glowering. Then he sighed wearily and waved his Beater's bat, shouting, "All right, that's good 'nuff for today! Let's turn in, team!"

Exhausted and dripping wet, the Gryffindor team trooped into the locker room. Damien sat on a bench, running a hand through his sopping hair. "Good practice – although a little more focus _wouldn't _hurt…" He glowered at James here, who glowered back. "We should be all right for the Hufflepuff match – not that it was ever going to be difficult to _begin _with… but Ravenclaw's going to be really strong this year, so I wanted to start practicing for that one early, and-"

"Don't be a twit," Janine interrupted, peeling off her jumper to reveal a soaked sports bra. By now, everyone was far too used to this to bother averting her eyes. She headed for the showers after tossing her jumper on the ground, adding, "The match isn't until June. We have plenty of time." Within two minutes, they all heard a shower running. Damien rolled his eyes.

"Anyway, good job, all of you. All right, so I figure after the game tomorrow, we'll take a week or two off, and then we're going to start again, and I _really _want to get going on those Reverse passes, and-"

"Damien, we _really _don't need to hear the whole season's training schedule," Cassie interrupted, wringing her hair out, creating a puddle on the floor. "Let's just concentrate on the upcoming match, and damn all the rest until it's over, all right?"

There were murmurs of agreement. Damien sighed. "I'm the only one who's really serious about this," he moaned mournfully, and then disappeared into the captain's office. Sirius glanced at his best friend.

"Did you see him hit all those Bludgers at me? You'd think I was a Slytherin, or something."

"Yeah, well, he's just tetchy about Janine," Jen said, standing up and stretching. "You know, I think I'll go take a shower upstairs. I'll see you all later." She waved casually, and the rest of the team dispersed.

X-X-X-X-X

"And here comes the Gryffindor team!" The wind whipped Alyssa's words away again, but thankfully, it wasn't raining, although there were distinct rolls of thunder to be heard. "Widely known as the best team to ever pass through Hogwarts, we have Beater and Captain Garnet, Beater Black, Chaser Garnet, Chaser Potter, Chaser Rennet, Keeper King, and Seeker Barrington. Now on the Hufflepuff side-"

"I can barely hear her," Lily said, straining to catch her friend's words.

"Ah, so what? We're not out here to listen to the commentary, we want to watch the match – geez, it's a good thing that snow let up a few weeks back-"

"The rain melted most of it, anyway," came a voice behind them. They turned, to see Alexia Walsh and Joanne Gainsborough settling in behind them. "Hi," Alexia added. "D'you mind if we sit here?"

"No, it gives us someone to talk to during the match," Lily said with a smile. "I haven't talk to the pair of you in a while – so how are you?"

"Oh, great!" Alexia's face was flushed. "Remus Lupin asked me out for Valentine's Day!"

Lily and Marlene exchanged looks – neither Jen nor Alyssa would be thrilled about that. "Well, er – that's good," said Marlene finally, with an encouraging smile. "Yeah. Good."

"I know – I'm so excited!" She calmed down a bit, adding, "I mean, it's only one date, but still – he's so cute, don't you think?"

"Oh – er, yeah, cute," Lily said, while Marlene covered a cough that sounded suspiciously like 'obsessed.' Lily trod on her foot, hard. "Be nice," she hissed in a low tone, and turned to Jo. "So what about you? Are you going with someone?"

Joanne shrugged. "Greg Martine, from Ravenclaw. We've been going steady for a few months, although I think we're starting to get bored – one last Valentine's Day, and I imagine that's it for us. I heard you're going with Andy Cobalt, though," she added in Lily's direction.

"That's the plan, yeah. But I'm a bit worried about James Potter – you know what an awful prat he can be-"

"Yes, well, no wonder." Jo looked irritable. "After all, he's such good friends with _her, _isn't he?" Lily was mystified for a few moments, trying to figure out who 'her' was, and then it clicked.

"You really haven't forgiven her for that? Really, Janine's just a bit… er… well…"

"Contemptuous of anyone beneath her," Jo supplied. "That's all right. I suppose, if I had all that money and those clothes _and _Sirius Black, I'd act like that too."

"I don't know why girls go after him," Lily said with a shrug. "I mean, I suppose he's funny – well, he's good-looking, too – all right, he's smart – and I suppose he's good at Quidditch, although I don't know why _that _should mean anything, and – well, he's a bit of a flirt, don't you think? And he's a commitment-phobe."

"Male slut is what you're going for, actually," Marlene said with a smirk, and Lily smacked her.

"Don't be mean!"

"Don't kill the messenger, Lily!" Marlene held up her hands, still smirking. "I speak the truth."

"She does," Jo agreed. "But that doesn't stop him from being-"

"Sexy as hell," Marlene supplied with a grin.

"Who?" Alexia had finally re-entered the conversation. "Remus?"

The three other girls groaned. Jo seemed about to reply, when a sharp whistle was blown. They all turned to see fourteen people on broomsticks rise, just as the Quaffle was thrown up into the air. Janine seized it.

X-X-X-X-X

"James!" Janine hollered at the top of her lungs. James nodded as he sped past her, and she threw it with all her strength at him. Doing a roll, he caught it while upside down, flashing her a grin. She rolled her eyes. _Show-off._

She swerved to avoid a Bludger, swooping below Benedict, who now had the Quaffle, he pulled his arm back to launch it in the direction of the hoops, and then dropped it. She caught it and threw it through the left hoop.

"10-ZIP! GRYFFINDOR SCORES!"

Grinning, Janine flew by the Gryffindor stands, giving them all a thumbs-up. There were whistles and cheers, although she could see Lily distinctly roll her eyes. Janine flashed her a wide grin and then did a loop around Brooke Myers, a Hufflepuff Chaser.

X-X-X-X-X

"This is so bad," Marlene groaned. "The Slytherin match was so much more interesting."

"Really? Because I sort of remember you saying somewhere that you wanted to take a nap during it…"

"C'mon, look at the score! It's 90-40. Who the hell do you _think _is going to win?"

"I s'pose s- oh! Oh, look, Cassie's going into a dive!" Lily and Marlene both leapt to their feet, Alexia and Jo only a moment behind, all four of them screaming for the fourth-year to fly faster – not that it mattered. She was miles ahead of the Hufflepuff Seeker anyway.

"AND SHE CATCHES THE SNITCH! Well, that was a rather pathetic match by Hufflepuff – yes, I'm sorry, Professor, I didn't mean it, no, give me the megaphone back…!" Her voice was steadily trailing away as McGonagall tugged the megaphone away. Not that it would have mattered. It was hard to hear over all the laughter.

"C'mon, let's go down to the field and congratulate them!" Marlene cried, already leaping up and hurrying down the stairs. The others followed her.

The moment they were on the field, Marlene and Lily launched themselves at Janine and Jen, hugging them fiercely. James and Sirius were cheering loudly, hoisting Cassie onto their shoulders. "Only one more to go!" Janine whooped.

Alexia rushed over and offered her congratulations to Janine and Jen, both of whom accepted it the way they always did – with smirks and, "Yeah, we are great, aren't we?" And then Janine found herself face to face with Jo.

It was a tense moment. Jo broke the silence first, saying stiffly, "Well. Nice match." Both seemed unaware that everyone – even James, Sirius, and Cassie – had turned to watch.

Janine did seem to realize this after a moment, and offered a genuine smile. "Yeah, thanks. It was pretty good." There was still a tense silence, however, and she added, "Of course, with all the support from our Gryffindors, how could we _not _win?" And they group erupted into cheers again.

Sirius grabbed Janine, kissing her soundly, pulling back and shouting out, "And _that's _the prize for the best Chaser!" James snorted.

"Ugh, Padfoot, I don't swing that way," he said, pretending to fend his friend off. Sirius smirked and grabbed James around the next, dropping a loud kiss with a smacking noise onto his cheek. Everyone erupted into laughter.

"PARTY IN THE COMMON ROOM!" Jen shouted loudly. "LAST ONE THERE IS A NINCOMPOOP!"

And they all ran for it.

X-X-X-X-X

"Great, wasn't it?" Janine said, holding up a Butterbeer as if toasting herself. "I can't help but wonder how those two get all this stuff every time, you know," she added thoughtfully.

"Chances are, we don't want to know," replied Lily, holding up her own Butterbeer bottle and clinking it again Janine's. "I'm proud of you, though. You were nice to Jo."

She shrugged. "Couldn't have a full-scale fight erupting on the pitch right after the win, could we? I don't think she likes me much, though."

"That's because you can be a right little bitch when you want to be," interjected Sirius, pushing Lily out of the way as he swung an arm around Janine. "But it all adds to your deliciousness."

"Oh, that's a _great _way to romance a girl," Lily drawled. "Deliciousness? What sort of word is _that?"_

"Hey, Evans, you get the opposite sex your way, I get them my way." He grinned at her. "But no getting drunk this time, all right, Evans?" Lily flushed, remembering what had happened at the last Gryffindor party. Then she remembered what had happened after it, and, apparently, so did Sirius, because his grin faded. "Um… let's not talk about that," he suggested hastily.

"Fair enough," said Janine, knocking back a long swig of Butterbeer. Her eyes roved over the partying Gryffindors. "So tell me. How d'you get all this stuff?"

"What can I say? Madam Rosie loves me so much that she sends me food periodically." Sirius sighed dramatically. "'Tis a pity, though, for our sordid affair must be kept in secrecy, for your poor heart, else you'd be desolate if I left you for another woman…"

"No, not really. Did you know that Benedict asked me out after the match this afternoon?"

"You said no, I presume."

"I told him I'd think about it." Sirius gaped at her as she waved across the room to Benedict Rennet, who waved back. "Seeing as no one _else _has asked me…"

"Hey! What about _me?"_

"You didn't _ask, _idiot!" Janine grinned at him, but Sirius actually looked irritated.

"It's a given!"

"It's not a bloody _given, _Sirius!" Janine looked annoyed now. "No girl likes to be taken for _granted!"_

"I'm not taking you for _granted! _I just _assumed, _seeing as we're, you know, _DATING, _and all, that we'd be going together!"

"Well, next time, don't assume things!" Lily carefully began to edge away, heading for where Marlene, Fabian, Jen, and Alyssa were all listening to the ensuing argument very carefully.

"Blimey, they do argue a lot, don't they?" said Fabian wonderingly. He grinned at Marlene. "Not like us."

"No, not like us," agreed Marlene. "But tell me, do you miss her?"

"She's a nice girl, but she's too high-maintenance. But if Black can handle that, more power to him." Fabian glanced back at the pair – they were storming off in different directions. "My bet is they'll have made up by the time this party is over."

"Probably," agreed Lily, shrugging. She watched Janine throw herself into a chair and snap moodily at Peter when he seemed to offer her a pumpkin pasty. "Or maybe not," she added after a pause.

X-X-X-X-X

"…Bloody insane!" Sirius threw his arms up in the air. "_Women! _I tell you, Moony, you're lucky you're not attached to a girl anymore!"

Remus picked up an empty Butterbeer bottle, wrinkling his nose, and said, "Well, I did ask Alexia Walsh to Hogsmeade."

"Moony! You have to spend the day with _me_, or I'll be all alone!"

"Why? She didn't say _yes _to Benedict, you know. She only said she'd think about it."

"Honestly, you're awfully stupid," Peter said sleepily, helping James put the couch upright (a group of overenthusiastic fourth years had toppled it over). "She's trying to make you ask her out properly. She doesn't _have _any intention of going with Rennet, you know."

"How would _you _know?" Sirius demanded rudely, just as James interjected suddenly, "That's stupid. Why couldn't she just come out and say that she wanted Sirius to ask her properly?"

"Well, let's see," replied Remus, pretending to look thoughtful. "I believe her exact words were, 'It's not a bloody given, Sirius; no girl likes to be taken for granted,' and then she said, 'Next time, don't assume things.' It doesn't get all that much clearer than that." He tossed another bottle into his trash bag. "Explain to me. Why do _we _have to clean up, and why is nobody else helping?"

"Because everyone else is lazy, and we're good souls," James replied smartly. There was a snort from the direction of the stairs. They glanced up to see Lily, in her dressing gown, hair pinned up, wearing a frown.

"It's nice to see you boys doing something useful." She gave Sirius a mildly disdainful look. "Janine also asked me to pass along a message."

Sirius looked as though he weren't sure whether or not this was a good thing. "Yeah? What's that?"

"She said, 'wank off, jerk.' And I quote."

Sirius's shoulders slumped, although he looked mutinous. "Fine. I'll just go with someone else to Hogsmeade, then."

"Will you? Try actually _asking _them, then. I'll let Janine know. She can go with Benedict." She turned to James, frowning. "And I highly doubt that there are many lazier than you." She walked back into her dorm.

Sirius glanced casually at James. "What? No entries for the diary? You usually have something to write after every confrontation with her."

"It's _not _a diary!" James chucked a bottle at Sirius, who ducked. The bottle shattered against a portrait, which yelled, "Watch it, buddy!"

"James, this diary nonsense has gone on long enough," Remus said sternly, straightening up. "You really need to take up a hobby."

"He has lots of hobbies," pointed out Sirius. "Quidditch, stalking Evans, Transfiguration, stalking Evans, pranking Snivellus, stalking Evans…"

"You've said 'stalking Evans' three times already, Padfoot," interjected Peter.

"Well, it's his main hobby, isn't it?"

"I don't _stalk _her," James said irritably.

"You're right, you don't. In fifth year you used to follow her to every class and-"

"Padfoot, in fifth year, we all took the _exact same classes!"_

Pause. "Not true. You take Divinination and Muggle Studies, and she takes Arithmancy and Ancient Runes."

"I was waiting for Remus!"

"Which is why you waited long after Remus had gone past until she came out of the room so you could ask her out, right?"

James ignored that and said, "So anyway. Valentine's Day is really soon… about our… 'thing'…"

"Right, right," Sirius said, and he straightened up. "It should be good, actually. I can just see Evans swooning after your amazing declaration of love in front of all of-"

"Shut up; you'll ruin the surprise!" Sirius closed his mouth and guiltily looked at his trash bag. James carefully avoided Remus's shrewd looks. "What?" he finally demanded, exasperated.

"I just want to know what you're going to do at Hogsmeade, that's all. So I can warn you ahead of time that it's stupid."

"Well, since you already know it's stupid, and you've told me so, I consider myself warned ahead of time. Can we drop the subject now?"

"James, she's not going to like you any more if you embarrass her in front of a lot of people."

"What I'm doing isn't _embarrassing!" _James retorted hotly. "It's _sweet!" _He paused. "Merlin, did I actually say 'sweet'?"

"Yes," affirmed Sirius. "I may have to kill you. We can't have you saying things like 'sweet.' It's an insult to masculinity."

"Don't be silly, I've heard girls say they like a sensitive fellow," Peter said cheerfully, waving his wand. The banner lining the wall above the fireplace flew across the room and fell into a heap. He frowned.

Remus took out his own wand and muttered something, and the banner neatly folded itself. Peter gave it an offended look. "You were waving your wand about, Wormtail," Remus explained. "It's more of a flick."

"Oh." Peter tried it on another banner. This seemed to work better; it sort of flew over itself into a messy fold.

"Better. Keep practicing, Peter."

"So anyway," Sirius continued, "who should I ask to Valentine's Day? Now that Janine's decided not to go with me, and all."

"I firmly believe that the best way to resolve this little matter is to go up to her and ask her to Hogsmeade formally, in front of lots of people, Sirius." Remus was frowning. "It'll please her, and it'll show that she matters more than the rest. You've always assumed that your flavor of the week is going to go with you. The thing is," he continued wisely, "she's a bit more than a flavor of the week, seeing as you've been dating since early December, or something like that."

"We have our on and off stages. Right now, I think we're off." He shrugged. "I think she hooked up with some Ravenclaw back at the end of January, but I can't remember."

"Doesn't matter. She's still your girlfriend. So you had a fight. Everyone has fights." Remus shrugged. "But you do what you want. Far be it from me to tell you what to do…"

"Exactly. Don't tell me what to do." Sirius shrugged. "I'll just have to go and size up every girl tomorrow, and then ask one…"

X-X-X-X-X

But Sirius didn't get to do that.

Mostly because every girl in all of Hogwarts was fawning over _Witch Weekly _and was too occupied to pay attention to one Mr. Sirius "Padfoot" O. Black.

"Oh my gosh, did you see those _gorgeous _pink dresses? I've got to get over there-"

"Can you _believe _it? All Gryffindor girls, too! They're _so _lucky-"

"There's an ad, too, asking for models – I swear, I'm going to send in my application _right now_-"

"Oh my god, they're practically famous – they must have guys _all over them_-"

"And they look _so _gorgeous in those dresses – and Janine in that green one-"

"Did you see the peach one Lily was wearing? I want that outfit-"

"That white one, with Marlene? She looked _so good _– I'm going to get a haircut like hers in Hogsmeade next week-"

"Forget the white one, did you see the red? That color is _stunning_-"

And so the conversations wore on…

But that wasn't the half of it.

"Hey, Lily, will you go to Hogsmeade with me?"

"Janine, you looked _fantastic _in _Witch Weekly _– by the way, are you busy this Saturday?"

"Hey, Alyssa… got a date for Valentine's?"

"You know, Jen, if I could rearrange the letters of the alphabet, I'd put U and I together…"

"Are you going to Hogsmeade this Saturday, Marlene?"

"Hey, Lily, wait up…"

"Janine, got a sec…?"

"Alyssa, can I have a word?"

"Let me walk you to class, Jen…"

"Need some help with your books, Marlene?"

"Lily…"

"Janine…"

"Alyssa…"

"Jen…"

"Marlene…"

And so on.

Needless to say, the four Marauders – well, actually, it was only three, because Peter didn't seem to mind it so much – were in a very bad mood by the time classes were over. "I swear to God," Sirius groused, "if I hear _one more _arse ask if Janine and I have _really _broken up and if she's available to go to Hogsmeade with him, I'm going to be dealing out some _serious _hurt. No pun intended."

"Merlin, it's like they came out of nowhere," Remus mumbled. "Alyssa's had so many offers – and it's like all these fellows are _intent _on rubbing it in my face that I've lost my chance…"

"The next person who asks Lily out dies," finished James angrily.

"I don't understand _why you care,_" Peter cheerfully said, reaching for James's plate of untouched food (having already finished his own). "I mean, it's not like any of you were going with any of them." He kicked Sirius under the table. "Anyway, rumor has it that Janine's still available. I bet you ten galleons if you asked her, she'd say yes."

"Yeah, right. She'll tell me what she told the others – 'I'll think about it' – or she'll say no. Have you seen the way she's been gloating at me all day? She's still mad."

"You're acting like some lovesick puppy," James snapped testily. "Just go ask her out, dammit!"

Sirius glowered at him. "You're in a crappy mood," he snapped back. "Why don't you just go ask Evans out? Scared you'll get rejected for the _millionth _time? At least _I _have a chance with my girl!"

"She's not your girl anymore," Remus pointed out moodily. He turned to James. "Not that Lily's your girl, either, or that she ever was. And I wouldn't advise asking her out. It'll make her angry."

As if on cue, the five girls trooped in, all bright-eyed and flushed after class. _Lily looks pretty… I wonder if she said yes to any of her admirers?_

"Are you planning on spending Valentine's Day by yourself, or are you actually going to say yes to one of your little fan club?" Marlene asked Janine, grinning.

"Oh, do shut up. And anyway, it's not like _you _haven't got your own fan club…"

"I never really imagined that that silly little modeling job for Auntie Cecilia would have gotten this much of a response," Alyssa said with a grin. "It's like we're goddesses."

"I like the attention," Jen said with a smirk.

"I don't. It's horribly annoying – I've been late to three classes today, and McGonagall already yelled at me. Even though it _wasn't my fault._" Lily sighed, flicking a strand of red hair from her face as she sat at the table. The others followed her example.

"Well, you've been polite to all the boys so far," said Alyssa encouragingly. "Turning them down nicely; that's you."

"I've already said yes to Andy Cobalt."

"I think James may have scared him off," Janine said, waving her fork. "And anyway, I don't think I'll go to Hogsmeade on Saturday." Her friends stared at her. "I mean, it's just a silly Hogsmeade trip. There'll be more."

Her friends were still staring at her with shocked expressions.

"I'm going to just hang about and do my homework, I think." She pushed her plate away. "Anyway, Cetearyl assigned us that essay, and I'm going to go do it now. I'm not that hungry." She picked up her bag and strode out.

"Blimey," Marlene finally said. "Either somebody's taken Polyjuice potion, turned into her, and tied the _real _Janine up in a closet, or Janine is _really _depressed about Sirius."

"Um, Lily…?" The four remaining girls turned to see a shy Hufflepuff fifth year standing there. "I know you've been getting this all day, but are you busy for Valentine's Day…?"

"Oh, I'm sorry." Lily plastered a smile on her face, albeit a fairly fake one. This was getting out of hand. "But I'm going with Andy Cobalt. It's sweet of you to ask, though." He nodded, mumbling something incoherent, and slunk away. Lily shook her head, partly irritated, partly bemused, and returned to her conversation with her friends, blissfully unaware that James Potter, further down the table, was staring wrathfully at the shy Hufflepuff.

She was also unaware that someone, far, far away, was paying closer attention to the magazine ad than anyone at Hogwarts…

X-X-X-X-X

A/N: There you have it… Chapter 19. Uber-long, huh? I know the Quidditch match was a pitiful example of my writing, but this chapter is damned long enough, as far as I'm concerned. Now, a few important notes…

Note #1 – Uh, I don't know if you'd consider that a cliffie, but if it is, I'm sorry. But you'll find out why the modeling thing was so important next chapter…

Note #2 – Yes, I hate to say it, but school has started for me. Just last Tuesday, the 30th. It sucks. Believe me, _I know. _It doesn't just suck, it royally BLOWS. But the thing is, I'm stuck with it. And this year is proving to be far harder than last year. You know what that means, right? Less time to write. Never fear, I won't give up. Updates will just be slow… REALLY slow.

Note #3 – I'm a little pissed off, actually, but not at you guys. At myself. This story is starting to annoy me – it's not sticking true to the way I wanted it to be. James is becoming less prat-ish chapter by chapter (with the obvious exception of the diary-thing) and Lily is turning into a right little bitch, and this story is becoming more and more about Janine and Sirius than it is about Lily and James. I'm going to try to change that from now on. I don't want Lily to _be _a bitch, so I'm going to attempt to come up with an explanation for why she's the way she is. The thing is, I haven't written the first five years of their Hogwarts or, more importantly, the first four, the ones where Lily's loathing of James is more or less returned. Old habits die hard, and James is still as much of an arrogant prick as he always was. I don't know how to go back and fix the earlier chapters and make him the way I wanted him to be… I mean, it's not like I literally CAN'T, it's more like I can't figure out how to change the storyline without completely rewriting the chapters. Moreover, I'm especially unhappy with the Whomping Willow incident… I'm not sure I should have put James there when Sirius told Snape about the Whomping Willow. The thing is, with the way James is, it FELT right at the time. Now I'm not so sure. Anyway, I'm going to try and make it seem like James really hasn't changed as much as we'd all like to think he has… he's as much of a prat as he ever was, it's just that we don't see too many incidents of it anymore. I'm going to try and bring the story more back to Lily and James from now on… but I can't say whether or not I'll succeed. Wish me luck.

Note #4 – This is a happier note. Major props to Nikki and Lizzabeth Turner, my betas. I 3 you guys! **_You guys rock my sox! Muah! 3_**

Note #5 – REVIEWERS! Oh my gosh, thanks to ALL of you! Here goes – this is going to be long, so just scroll down and find your name…

**Pokie4389 **– Thanks for reviewing; I'm glad you liked the chapter! I thought it sucked, but hey, there you go… I'll update ASAP, but I can't promise when that will be…

**MWPP Fanatic** – Yeah, I totally think Remus deserves a girlfriend. It's about time, don't you think? Too bad Alexia's just a LITTLE obsessed… yeah, Regulus is a little berk. But I can't help it, his character is going to be fun to develop, especially since we know next to NOTHING about him… as for James's manliness… yes, it IS at stake. He must find some way to salvage it. Unfortunately for him, his manliness will be brought into question again next chapter… but I'm not saying anymore about it!

**cilverblood** – Thanks for reviewing! Yeah, I know Lily's been a bit of a bitch as of late. I REALLY have got to change that. I'm going to start writing more chapters that focus more on Lily, so we can see why she's that way… and don't worry about the Sirius/Lily pairing. It was a one time thing, and it's over. Never going to happen. Never ever ever. LJ Forever!

**TigerLily** – I'm really glad you thought the chapter was funny! I'll update ASAP…

**Admiral Lily** – OMG, that was like my favorite line too! I had _so _much fun writing that part! And yeah, I'm feeling way better… thanks!

**alenchic** – Thanks for the review – I'll update so long as you keep reviewing!

**Spikora** – I'm thrilled that you thought the chapter was funny! I was worried about that… except for the parts from James's diary. I was like, SOMEBODY'S got to think that's funny, after the great time I had writing it… keep on reading, I'll keep updating!

**Invisible2u – **How dare you take my Snape plushie! …No, I'm just kidding. Take it, go ahead. I'm glad that somebody in the world agrees with me – fun is a TOTAL priority! Now all I've got to do is convince my teachers and parents of the same…

**californiagurl** – Hmm… I never thought of her friends as pushy… interesting. I'll have to take that into account when I write the next chapter. Thanks for pointing it out to me, I'd never have noticed otherwise!

**AnG3L1c diVa-chan **– I'm going as fast as I can – I'm sorry it took so long! I hope you liked this chapter, too!

**Jessie xxx** – It's always way cool to hear from one of my most faithful reviewers :D – Glad you're still with us, and I'll get the next update out ASAP!

**Dreammergurl2007 **– Another faithful reviewer, yeah! I'm sorry if you've been freaking out… I'm trying my best, I swear! Oh my gosh, I feel your pain… going to school on MONDAY… I know classes only started Tuesday for me, but I had to be in school for REGISTRATION… it was _awful… _kudos to the pair of us who have to go to school a week earlier than almost everyone else! Keep reviewing, 'kay? And good luck with school!

**Granger-gurl-rox** – Hmm… James having Lily's picture pinned up… good idea! I'm going to keep that in mind! Thanks! And as for Lily finding James's diary… definitely! I can't _wait _to write her reaction! And I hope you like the Valentine's treat, which is coming in the next chapter…

**Hollow Headed Hamster** – yeah, no worries about James writing in his diary. Even with all of Remus's warnings, our favorite Marauder (well, I don't know if I can say that, 'cause I love Remus and Sirius too) IS a stubborn ass, and we all know he's not going to listen. Hopefully, they'll keep getting funnier as we go along, right?

**Oliverwoodschic** – You know, I never got the chance to tell you this, but I LOVE your pen name. It's so perfect! Anyway, yes, I agree, Sirius and Janine need a snog scene… unfortunately, this is not the end of all their problems… drama, drama, drama! I can't help but write it! All my friends at school are like, 'you're such a drama queen,' and it's like, 'I know, it's awful,' but for once it's coming in handy writing all these scenes! As for Janine's other brothers… well, Perry's not going to get over-protective, seeing as he must have known about it all along, right? I mean, he _does _know everything… :D… anyway, seeing as her other brothers are out of school, it was kinda hard to find some way for them to be overprotective, and then I was like, dude, a HOWLER! And so there we have it. And just as an added bonus, because you're a great reviewer, I'll tell you a secret… I was gonna give Janine a twin brother, too, but then I was like, hang on, it's like, the four marauders Janine's brother, and then I was like, he could be in a DIFFERENT house, but then I was like, no, that's not going to work… so he got cut out. :( …But his name was Ben, if you want to know. Anyway… I'll update ASAP! (Wow, that was a long response to a review, huh?)

**Horny-Cotter** – Glad to hear you're sticking with me 'til the end! Because this fic is definitely going to go on 'til the end, and then some!

**Nebulia** – nice to know my story's a fav! Keep reading, k?

**Katmiester** – You're totally right – it _is _our duty to torture our leading characters! As for Lily finding the diary… well, of course! I mean, what would be the point of James keeping a diary if Lily never FINDS it? And I promise, you're going to LOVE her reaction… I'm glad you thought the chapter wasn't a waste of space… because I spent forever one it and then I was like, "oh my gosh, what if it sucks and they all hate it?" It's nice to know you guys don't!

**lilynjamesAAF** – I'm glad you like this chapter (and the whole story, too), and I'm waiting for your next review!

**SwTnDrEaMyPnAy03** – I know, 18 chapter's and Lily's still being stubborn and bitchy about James… but there really ARE reasons for it… but anyway, they'll get together in the end, right? And I hope you like my DHr story, for all that it hasn't been updated in, like, FOREVER…

**YamiClara** – I'm updating as fast as I can, I swear! Keep reading, okay?

**SparkyPandas** – I know you reviewed Chapter 12, so I hope you got this far! Yeah, I found out about that Ron-prefect thing after I wrote those chapters and all… but thanks for telling me anyway! I know, I'm so sick of the sixth year too. I've got all these great ideas for seventh year, but I can't WRITE any of them because we're not even through the sixth! But I hope I can speed up the rest of the year now so I can get to the REALLY fun part of the story…

**WoW-Girl** – Glad you're likin' the story! Keep reading it, okay?

**BeCkY6** - :-) to you too! I hope you like the story!

**Raven** – You have no idea how thrilled I am that you're loving this fic! I'll update ASAP, okay?

**Libby Bird **– Glad to have you with us, and I hope you make it all the way up to this chapter!

**milky way bar** – Glad you liked the chapter! Okay, now on to why Janine was so mean to Jo… I was actually hoping this question would come up, so I'd have a chance to explain it. See, the thing about Janine is, she's a pureblood, and not only that, she's the only girl in a family of five kids, right? Not to mention her dad totally dotes on her, and, well, let's face it, she's pretty and she's rich. So she's really used to people liking her, and as a result, she's sort of a snob. Think female James, but a bit snobbier and more stuck-up. She considers Jo beneath her, just like Jo says in this chapter. And – this is giving you a HUGE hint for what's to come – I don't know if you've ever read those Archie comics, but think of Janine as a sort of Veronica, and Jo as a sort of Betty! Except that Janine _can _be a great person, but as far as she's concerned, Jo's just an annoying little fifth year. I didn't want Janine to become a Mary Sue, and I have the sneaking suspicious that she was kinda turning into one… I mean, she's smart, dating the sexiest guy in the school, is pretty, and is rich… I had to give her SOME faults, right? Anyway, I hope that answers your question…

**DobbyGrl** – I'm glad you're liking this story! Read on!

**Padfootz** – I LOVE your name! It's so cool! And I'm glad you're liking the story – aww, thanks for telling me I'm talented, it makes me feel all warm and fuzzy inside… just like Padfoot! Sorry, couldn't resist. Anyway, read and review on!

**Celina K2** – Welcome to the fic! I'm so totally thrilled that you found this story, even by accident… and I'm even more thrilled that you're loving it! And don't worry, I will NOT abandon this story! As for getting Snape a girlfriend… I can't promise you that one, but we'll see. And yes, Lily does need to lighten up. Like everyone's been saying… she's been a bit of a bitch as of late. I'm working on that aspect of her character… thanks for the review!

**Shadowrayne** – Thanks for the review! I know, I wish I could update faster, but school is taking up SOOOO much time… I'm trying my best, really! I'll try and pump the updates out faster, though, by writing a whole lot more on the weekend if at all possible…

**LILYANNEASHLEYPOTTER** – Hey, thanks for the review! I'm glad you love the fic – if you've gotten here by now, you know who the guy is, and I hope you're pleased with the choice. Keep reading!

**_Wow… 32 Reviewers! (I think, I suck at math and counting…) Thanks so much, guys, I love you all! I know it seems like I was just saying the same things over again, but I swear, it was all totally sincere – I absolute ADORE you guys for all these reviews! More reviews make me happy, and happy people write, right? So review and I'll keep writing! Love you all XOXO_**

Note #6 – Last thing, I think. **UPCOMING IN THE NEXT CHAPTER** – Valentine's Day fiasco, we find a very introspective Lily and learn why she's been such a bitch lately, we get to see more of James's prat-ish-ness, Andy Cobalt gets tied to a lamppost in Hogsmeade (guess who did THAT), we do some delving into the past to get a bigger picture on our nine favorite Gryffindors, and we learn exactly WHO is so interested in our five Gryffindor girls and why he/she has been looking at their modeling pics! (Of course, this is assuming I can fit in everything I want to, which I hope I can…) Be on the lookout for the next update, guys!

Signing off for now… Peaches


	20. Valentine's Day Fiasco

Disclaimer: Characters and settings are property of J.K. Rowling. What you don't recognize is mine. And I _wish _I owned the Marauders (specifically Sirius and Remus) but most unfortunately, I do not. Also, the song 'Hands Up' is copyright of (according to the CD I found it on) J. Kluger, P. Vangarde, and N. Byle. I know it's kind of a silly song, but I thought it fit the part and I think it's funny. So if you don't like… tough beans, 'cuz I'm not changing it.

And this is at the request of moony128: Okay, the story started in November of the group's sixth year (the year was 1972, although it's February now, so it's 1973)… and no, I never wrote their previous years, although I may or may not do so at some point. A basic recap: James is fruitlessly trying to win Lily's affection, but she's not to open of the idea of dating him… so he's planned a great Valentine's treat for her, which is a disaster (in more than one way)…

X-X-X-X-X

"Valentine's Day is tomorrow," James told Remus merrily.

"Mm-hmm."

"You haven't asked me what I'm planning in four days."

"That's because I gave up four days ago." Remus was carefully writing out his Charms essay in neat, scripted handwriting. "You're not going to tell me. And you're trying to goad me into asking. By the way, it's not working."

James made a face at this, and then leaned over and looked at Remus's homework. "Moony, it's Friday. Why are you doing that?"

"So I don't have to do it on Sunday, like you'll be doing." He finished the last word with a flourish and rolled up the parchment, a satisfied look on his face. He shot James a critical look. "You know something? I'm actually surprised with you. I mean – this silly diary thing has gone on long enough – but you haven't asked Lily out since Christmas – at least, not that I know of – and since Audrey, you haven't dated or flirted with a single girl." Remus frowned. "Which is very unusual for you."

"Maybe I've changed."

"Maybe you're on drugs," suggested Sirius, entering the room with what looked suspiciously like glittery pink lipstick on his face. He smirked. "Needless to say, I now have a date for tomorrow," he added.

"I figured." James got up from the desk on which he was sitting. "So who was it?"

"You'll never guess."

"Janine?"

"Give me a break. She's going with Rennet." He added something under his breath, something that sounded suspiciously like "Traitor" or possibly "Bastard" or maybe both.

"She's not, actually." Remus was idly flicking through his Herbology text, searching for something. James marveled at how quickly he'd switched from Charms to Herbology. He already had at least three inches written for his Herbology essay. "She told me she plans to skip the Hogsmeade trip."

James gave him a horrified look. "She can't! I need her there to tell me Lily's reaction to my plan!"

"Why don't you just ask one of the other girls? Or better yet, ask Lily herself. Or even better – don't go through with it." Remus closed his book with a sigh. "I don't think this will deter you, but really, James – this is getting ridiculous. The roses every year isn't that bad. Whatever you're planning, it can't be good. And chances are, it will only make her hate you more."

"No, it won't." Sirius looked confident. "It was my idea, after all."

"That's what worries me."

Now Sirius looked insulted. "It's a _good _idea. Anyway," he added, "I'm going with Noelle Donahue."

"Noelle Donahue? Haven't you dated her before?" Peter emerged from the bathroom, toweling his hair dry.

"Yeah. But I convinced her to give me another chance." Sirius grinned wolfishly. "I won't tell you how."

"Good. I don't need anything to give me nightmares tonight."

"That's right. Because Petey has a date tomorrow and needs his beauty sleep!" Sirius pretended to wipe a tear from his eye. "Aww. Our little boy's all grown up."

"Shut up," Peter said, going red. He climbed into bed. "And anyway, it's not like this is my first date or anything."

"Of course not, Peter. Don't wet the bed getting nervous tonight." Peter scowled as Sirius guffawed at his own comment. James and Remus rolled their eyes.

Remus turned to James. "I doubt you've changed, James. But you have toned it down, and I want to know why."

"I'm taking your advice, is all. Lying low until I get to know her better. Anyway," he added with a lopsided grin, "after tomorrow, there's no _way _she'll be able to resist me."

X-X-X-X-X

Lily glanced casually at Janine, who was listlessly watching her friends run about getting ready for the following day. She felt bad for her friend. This was probably her first Valentine's Day since she was thirteen without a date.

Jen wasn't as disposed to be as sympathetic. "You had only about a _million _offers," she pointed out sensibly. "It's your own fault. And now you've gone and told everyone that you want to stay by yourself here at the castle, and you'll look like an idiot if you don't."

"I'm not upset or anything," Janine protested.

"You're taking this Sirius thing too far," Jen continued with brutal honesty, marking pages in her Glamour Charms book. "What do you think of this color, by the way?"

Janine bent over the book, examining it. "That red? No, no, no." She shook her head, chewing her lip. "A subtle pink would look nice on you. Matches that peachy-golden complexion, you know?"

"If you say so," Jen replied dubiously, and marked the page. She looked at Janine. "So what is it about Sirius Black that makes you feel as if you're doomed to become a nun?"

"I never said I was doomed to become a nun."

"Well, you're certainly acting like it. What do you say? Shall we enroll you in a nunnery? Are you going to take a vow of celibacy?"

"Shut up, Jen." Janine rolled over onto her back and stared at the top of her four-poster. "I really am fine, you know. I'm not upset at all."

"Very good. Again, with more feeling."

"Shut _up, _Jen."

Lily sighed, and both girls turned to glance at her, along with Marlene and Alyssa. "You _are _upset. But why? I mean, it doesn't make any sense. Frankly, if I were you, I'd be proud. You managed to keep Black ensnared for two and a half months, which is a record. Congratulations to you."

"Lily, be nice! Her feelings are sensitive right now." Marlene dropped onto Janine's bed, grinning. "Poor baby. Did the big bad Casanova hurt your feelings?"

Janine grabbed a pillow and whacked Marlene with it. Of course, Marlene retaliated, and Jen and Alyssa soon joined in. Lily hung back, watching with a small smile on her face.

_What I said was true, though. I don't think Sirius Black has ever paid that much attention to any girl. It was bound to end at some point._

_I hadn't expected it, though. I mean, she really did seem like she could keep him. But I know that isn't the first time they've fought. Sometimes it's stupid things, sometimes it's not._

_Why does it matter? They broke up a few days ago. But she's not over it._

_Which is weird. I'd have expected her to bounce back by now._

Lily watched Jen shriek with laughter as Alyssa grabbed her ankle and both of them went tumbling to the floor. Sadly, Jen grabbed Marlene at the last minute and dragged her down as well. Grinning triumphantly – having momentarily forgotten her problems – Janine stood up on her bed unsteadily. Lily watched them for a few more moments, and then glanced out the window curiously.

_Strange… Potter hasn't embarrassed me or anything recently. No roses, either._

_I mean, it's not a big thing, or anything. He's only been doing it for the past two years. Before that, he hated me. It was a lot simpler then._

_James hated me because I was smart and know-it-all. I hated James because he was a royal pain in the arse – and he still is. But what changed?_

_What the hell does he **see **in me, anyway? Nobody changes feelings overnight. It's just not **normal**. You can't start loving someone all of a sudden._

_…Can you?_

Lily looked to where her four friends were engrossed in a pillow fight.

_Janine used to **hate** Sirius, and he used to **hate **her. I mean, they never met up without fighting, unless it was on the Quidditch pitch. So how did they get together? It was all of a sudden. Nobody really expected it._

_So what about James, then? Is that how it's going to be for the pair of us? What if **I **suddenly fall in love with **him**?_

_No, that would be too weird. I just spend so long hating him. It's like a second nature to me now. He used to prank me all the time; I'd retaliate – usually not as well, but I'd still retaliate – and the cycle continued. But he doesn't do that anymore. There's none of that mutual loathing anymore. Instead he spends his time sending me silly items and declaring his love and embarrassing me…_

Lily glanced out the window again, finally admitting to herself that she was waiting for an owl. _Potter usually **has** given me roses by now. But he wouldn't ask me out until tomorrow morning. No, of course not._

_Is he not sending roses this year?_

_Not that I **care, **or anything…_

Lily paused. By now, she'd gotten so used to James sending her roses and silly gifts that were often meant to embarrass her that it would have been strange if he hadn't. A pillow thumped into her chest, and she looked up to see Janine still standing unsteadily on a bed, brandishing her pillow with a cry of, "Stand and fight, ye mangy cur!"

Lily stared at her, and then wound up and launched the pillow back at Janine. It wasn't a particularly hard throw, but her friend pretended it was and flailed wildly, before landing with a soft thump on her back, just on top of Jen, who screeched loudly for her to "move her fat arse."

"I do _not _have a fat arse. I have a very cute arse, thank you."

"Well move it!" Janine crawled off her friend and grinned at Lily.

"You ought to be a Beater."

"What, and get up on a broomstick? No thanks; not for me." Lily plopped on her bed. "I'll leave that to you guys…"

Janine stood up, clapping her hands together. "Okay then! It's the night before Valentine's, and I think it's time we had a _major _gossiping session. Any volunteers to go with me to get the food?"

Marlene leapt to her feet, and Lily said, "Okay, go for it. We'll move the beds and clean up the place and get everything ready."

"Be back in a few!" Janine grabbed Marlene's arm and dragged her out the door. Lily looked around and clapped her hands.

"All right, troops, let's get to work!"

X-X-X-X-X

Within twenty minutes, the five beds had been pushed together, making a sort of large bed. All the curtains were pulled closed, the pillows were comfortably lining the bed, the five girls were spread out, food dispersed between them, the lights were out but for a few floating candles that were kept carefully out of reach of the curtains, and Jen was talking.

"…Alexia Walsh. I mean, really. She's sort of… mousy, don't you think?"

"Somebody's _jealous…_" Janine said with a grin, stretching her legs. "Toss a Chocolate Frog over here." Marlene did; Janine popped the whole thing in her mouth, chewing lazily. "Why don't _you _ask him out?" She hooted. "That'd be funny, actually. You asking Remus out. In front of everyone. It'd be fantastic."

"And if he said no?"

"Pretend it's a huge joke. Say something like, 'Man, I fooled you!' Men are stupid. He'll believe it." Janine prodded Alyssa with a delicate foot. "Unless our resident blonde has a problem with it."

"You can have him." Alyssa fingered the mammoth pearls around her neck. "Can you believe Davy? This thing must have been so expensive…"

"You know, our love lives – with the obvious exception of Janine's nonexistent one – are nowhere _near _as interesting as _Lily's._"

"My love life?" Lily scoffed. "Please. I don't get a love life. Potter makes sure of that." She sighed. "Oh, dear. I've just invited a barrage of questions, haven't I?"

"I mean, really, Lily, we've been telling you for years he's not so bad, but let's be serious now. Could you just go out with him so that he'd _bloody shut up?" _Jen took a swig of Butterbeer.

Lily sighed. "I just find it difficult to believe that after four years of hating each other, he's suddenly fallen in love with me. I don't know. Am I being too much of a bitch?"

"Yes," Janine said at once, just as Marlene said indignantly, "Of course not!" The two girls exchanged looks; Janine's smirking, Marlene's irritated. "Don't be silly, Lily," continued Marlene. "It's perfectly fair for you to assume the worst."

"She doesn't know him," rebuked Janine, her smirk gone. "I mean, really. You see the surface, but you have no idea what's inside. He's not a bad guy, Lil."

Lily looked thoughtful. "All right, well, I suppose I don't doubt that. If he were really all that awful, he'd be in Slytherin, wouldn't he?" There were murmurs of assent. "But he's always… so prat-ish. I mean, it's stopped now, but once he's dated me, then what? Then he goes back to his old ways? Pardon me for saying so, but I find it difficult to believe he's changed _that _much. Maybe I'm being unfair to him, but I don't really think I have any reason to think for even a moment that this isn't some silly act to get into my pants, you know?" Her friends stared at her. "It's just a thought. I can't help feeling that way. There are too many years of hating Potter to suddenly fall in love with him like that. Maybe he has changed. But then again, maybe he hasn't and it really _is _all an act."

"The only way to know is to go out with him, isn't it?" Alyssa rolled over onto her stomach. "Well, let's analyze this. What has James done for you over the years? Yes, I suppose he's embarrassed you countless times with silly displays of affection and all that, but really, Lily… he doesn't realize how silly they are. He thinks he's being sweet."

"And to some degree, he is," added Jen. "I mean, if a guy did all those things for me, I'd be flattered."

Lily frowned, chewing on her lip. "You guys really think I should go out with him?"

There was a pause. Then, "Not if you really don't want to. All we're saying is, maybe you should reevaluate the glass through which you've been looking at James. He may be a prat on the outside-"

"He's a prat on the inside, too, trust me," interrupted Janine. Marlene stuck her tongue out at her and continued.

"-But he can't be _all _that awful. Can he?"

"I suppose not." Lily twirled a strand of hair around her finger. "This isn't to say I'm going to go out with him, or anything. I'll just… think about it. Maybe get to know him better before I make judgments. Okay?"

Janine looked surprised. "You really would?"

"It can't hurt, I guess." Lily sighed. "So long as nothing _too _bad happens tomorrow."

X-X-X-X-X

"Well, have fun," Janine said gloomily, watching her friends rush about, swapping jumpers and scarves, each trying to look their best for their respective dates.

Lily stopped in the act of handing her red hat to Marlene and said, "Oh, this is silly. I'll break my date with Andy, and you can spend the day with me. No point in you hanging about the castle all day, making all the younger students miserable."

"No, you go and have fun," she insisted, pulling her Potions text towards her. "I'll sit and read. Really, I'll be fine. Truly, I will be." She looked Lily in the eye. "Don't you trust me?"

"It's not that, I just-"

"Here!" Alyssa brandished a green and white hat, and tossed it to Lily. "Wear this, it'll match perfectly!" Lily gave her a thankful smile and placed it on her curly red hair, gesturing to her outfit. "How do I look?"

Janine's eyes swept over her, looking critical. "Very Slytherin," she admitted at last. "All that white and green."

"Is it awful?"

"No, it's fine. You look all right, just you look very… Slytherin. Forget it; it doesn't matter." She waved a hand. "Have fun on your date."

"I'll try, so long as Potter doesn't mess things up for me." Lily waved, and walked out the door, shaking her head when Janine waved listlessly back. Her other friends followed her, all headed for their respective dates.

"You look nice," Andy said with a smile. "Ready to go out and have some fun?"

"Yes." Lily tugged absently on her scarf. "Let's go, then." She allowed him to drape an arm casually about her waist as they walked down the winding path to Hogsmeade. They continued in silence, until Lily said, "So… just because I have to know, what made you decide to ask me out?"

Andy shrugged. "Oh, I don't know. You're pretty, and you're nice. You're smart, too. I mean, why not ask you out?"

Lily shrugged, too. "Well, I don't know. Most guys just don't seem to ask me out."

"That's because they're all scared of James Potter," Andy replied matter-of-factly. He gestured to the fading ring around his right eye. "Of course, I don't let a little fear deter me."

"No, you don't," Lily teased, stepping out of his hold and grabbing his arm, as though sizing up his muscles. "But then, a big, strong lad like you shouldn't be scared of a skinny, underfed thing like Potter."

They laughed; Andy stopped first. "Speak of the devil…" Andy jerked his head to them. "I take back my previous statement – I _am _scared of Potter, and I _really _don't want to go into Madam Puddifoot's now."

For outside the door of the tiny coffee shop stood James, hands stuffed in his pockets, glaring at the pair of them. Lily shot him an uneasy glance. "Well, that's all right. We can go to the Three Broomsticks and get a Butterbeer."

"You sure?"

"Oh, yes. I don't really like coffee much, anyway." They quickly separated from the other pairs migrating towards the tiny shop and headed back to the pub. Neither of them saw James smirk and quickly leave the doorway the moment they were out of sight.

X-X-X-X-X

"You're a genius, Padfoot," James huffed at his friend, removing his jacket quickly and tossing it aside. "And thanks for letting us use the back entrance, Rosie."

"No problem," Madam Rosmerta replied, bustling past the tiny back room behind the bar. She winked at him. "So long as you don't tell anyone I let you use it."

"'Course not." James turned to Sirius, who had an arm thrown over Noelle's shoulders and was nuzzling her cheek. "Everything ready?"

"Yep. Moony's out there, by the way. Wormtail's not."

"You know, I've always wondered about those silly little nicknames," Noelle said with a giggle. Sirius nuzzled her neck, now.

"Ask us no questions, and we tell you no lies," he mumbled, his voice muffled. She giggled again, wrapping an arm around his neck. James barely managed to restrain himself from rolling his eyes. He quickly reached for his costume, taking a few deep breaths. _She'd better appreciate this._

X-X-X-X-X

"I knew we'd have a better time over here!" Lily shouted, her voice going above the loud chatter of the Three Broomsticks. Andy grinned as he sat at their table, holding out two mugs of Butterbeer.

"Yeah, and we can enjoy our date without Potter breathing down our necks, right?"

"Exactly!" Lily toasted him and drank deeply from her tankard. She set it down with a contented sigh. "Wow, that feels good."

"Sure does," Andy agreed. "Listen, Lily, I wanted to tell you that-"

"Well, hello." Both of their heads shot up, and Lily's heart sank. She should have expected something like this. Sirius Black stood next to their table, pinning a girl – Noelle Donahue – to his side. She was giggling madly, her blue eyes sweeping over Lily and Andy, as though sizing the pair of them up. Sirius was grinning at Lily in a rather devious sort of way that immediately put her on her guard.

"Hello, Black." Andy didn't bother to disguise his irritation at being interrupted, and Lily sighed. "Do you need something?"

"Yes." Noelle spoke now, still giggling in between her words. "We need _you._"

"Why?"

"Because, Cobalt, she said we do. And we do. So are you going to come, or are we going to have to force you along? Don't worry," Sirius added, looking at Lily. "We'll bring him back. We just want to have a chat with him, that's all."

Lily opened her mouth; Andy smoothly cut her off. "If you think you're going to scare me off, you're in for a surprise. By the way, what happened to Janine?"

Sirius scowled, marring his handsome features. "That's none of your damn business, Cobalt. Now come along. We're not trying to _scare you off._ I want to damn talk to you, that's all!"

Andy frowned, and Lily nudged him with her foot. He glanced at her. "It's all right. If James comes over here, I'll send him packing, along with a sharp reprimand for this. So long as you come back."

"I will," Andy swiftly promised, standing up. He glowered at Sirius and Noelle. "Lead the way."

Lily sighed as she watched them disappear towards a tiny door near the corner of the bar. They walked through it, and the door snapped shut. She leaned back in her chair, wondering just _how _long it would take James to show up and try to insert himself in Andy's chair.

X-X-X-X-X

He flipped through the magazine, stopping once more on the pictures of the five girls. "They're lovely," he commented smoothly. "Very lovely."

"Yes, they are," agreed a hooded man.

"It's a pity, but it must be done." He looked up. "Is everything ready?"

"Everything is ready."

"Good. Put the plan into motion." The hooded man swiftly nodded. "Dismissed." He left.

Again, he looked back at the magazine. He slowly looked at each girl, and then turned to the last page, the page with the petite redhead, drawing his finger slowly down the moving picture of her. As was customary with all model photos, the girl winked and waved at him. A cold smile spread across his mouth. "Quite a pity indeed…"

X-X-X-X-X

"Are we allowed to be in this back room?" Andy asked nervously.

"Yes, we are," Sirius snapped impatiently. "Noelle, watch the door." Sirius dragged Andy out the door, ignoring the other boy's protests. He slammed Andy up against a lamppost, which effectively silenced any complaints he might have had.

"First of all," he snarled, "Do not _mention _Janine in my presence. Second of all, don't even _get _any ideas about going onto her when I'm through with you. _Third, _do not get any ideas about Lily. You ought to know better, Cobalt, but I suppose not all sixteen-year-olds can be as smart as the others. _Fourth, _you are not going back to your date." Andy opened his mouth, and Sirius added with a smirk, "I lied about letting you back." He mumbled something, and cords sprung from his wand, tightly lashing Andy to the lamppost.

Immediately, the Hufflepuff boy began to fill the afternoon with obscenities, but seeing as most people were in the pub or in other shops at the moment, nobody took any notice. "Last thing," Sirius added with an even wider grin, and produced spell-o-tape from his pocket. Quickly and efficiently, he taped Andy's mouth shut. "Happy Valentine's Day," he added, walking back into the Three Broomsticks, ignoring Andy's struggles. He slung an arm around Noelle's shoulder, shutting the door and stopping the cold wind from coming in. "C'mon, babe. We have a show to put on."

X-X-X-X-X

Lily frowned into her Butterbeer. James had still not come by, and it had been nearly ten minutes. And where was Andy? Surely they had finished their talk by now. She could see Jen, who was across the room with her own date, glancing anxiously down at her. (Alyssa and Marlene were at Madam Puddifoot's with their respective dates).

And then the lights suddenly flickered off.

There were gasps all around the room, mingled with, "What's going on?" and "What's happening?" And then a light quickly switched to the top of the bar, where Sirius was perched, Noelle leaning against him. Everyone stared. _Where the hell is Andy **now**? Surely they didn't manage to **completely** scare… _Her thoughts were rudely interrupted as Sirius began to speak.

"Sorry to interrupt your Valentine's Day, ladies and gentlemen, but I have here a very special Valentine from a very special guy to a very special girl."

Lily felt an instead feeling of foreboding.

"Just who is this lucky lady, you might ask? Well, she's right over there – yes, the pretty little redhead – Lily Evans!" It was a like a spotlight had switched onto her exact position – actually, one had (Noelle was pointing her wand at Lily, still giggling like she always seemed to be).

Lily's feeling of foreboding intensified.

"And so, ladies and gents, trolls and hags, I give you… James Potter!" He quickly removed his wand from himself and pointed it to the edge of the bar, where James was standing. Lily, who had just taken a drink of Butterbeer to hide her flaming cheeks, choked.

He was dressed in lurid pink robes with huge red hearts patterned all over, his cheeks a bright red. He gave her an embarrassed wave, and stood up, holding a magical purple microphone to his mouth. Soft music started playing in the background, and Lily felt her stomach drop.

_Oh, God. Oh God, no. If there is a God, James Potter will NOT sing for me in front of the entire upper classes of Hogwarts and then some._

James opened his mouth.

_Oh, God, he **is **going to sing. Make him stop, no. What was wrong with the roses he sends every year?_

"_Hands up_

_Baby, hands up_

_Give me your heart_

_Give me, give me your heart_

_Give me, give me_

_Hands up_

_Baby, hands up_

_Give me your heart_

_Give me, give me your heart_

_Give me, give me all your love…_

_All your love…_"

People were starting to snicker around the room. Lily sank low in her seat.

"_Angel Face,_

_I love your smile,_

_Love your ways,_

_I like your style,_

_What can I do,_

_To get closer to you?"_

As if this weren't bad enough, another spotlight appeared on – Merlin forbid – _Sirius, _wearing a curly red wig and a skirt. People erupted into hysterics as he opened his mouth and began to sing in a falsetto.

_"Don't think twice,_

_Or count to ten,_

_Don't take advice,_

_Don't ask me when,_

_Just on my way,_

_Simply kiss me and say..._"

"Tell me this is not happening," Lily whispered, as people started to point at her. "Oh, my God, this is _not _happening…" The pair began to sing together again.

"…_Hand up,_

_Baby, hands up,_

_Give me your heart,_

_Give me, give me your heart_

_Give me, give me,_

_Hands up,_

_Baby, hands up,_

_Give me your heart,_

_Give me, give me your heart,_

_Give me, give me all your love…_

_All your love…"_

"This is the most embarrassing day of my life," Lily moaned. "Please, God, be merciful, let me _die _right now…" James was singing again.

"_With your head,_

_Up in the sky,_

_Every day,_

_You're walking by…_

_Why don't you ever start looking at me?"_

Sirius opened his mouth, to the obvious amusement of the onlookers, for they roared with laughter at his falsetto voice again.

"_Stop that game,_

_Don't waste your time,_

_All though your dreams are matching mine,_

_No use to play hide and seek for a week…_"

_"Hands up,_

_Baby, hands up,_

_Give me your heart,_

_Give me, give me your heart,_

_Give me, give me,_

_Hands up,_

_Baby, hands up,_

_Give me your heart,_

_Give me, give me your heart,_

_Give me, give me all your love…_

_All your love…"_

_"Let me be your Romeo,_

_Your wonder boy…_

_And your super champ…_

_Let me take you to the Milky Way,_

_On a holiday,_

_(On a holiday)…_

_Follow me, (follow me),_

_Why don't you follow me?_

_(Why don't you follow me?)_

_Just on my way,_

_Simply kiss me and say…"_

_"Hands up,_

_Baby, hands up,_

_Give me your heart,_

_Give me, give me your heart,_

_Give me, give me,_

_Hands up,_

_Baby, hands up,_

_Give me your heart,_

_Give me, give me your heart,_

_Give me, give me all your love…_

_All your love…"_

The music faded, and by now, Lily was almost completely under the table as the people around her roared with laughter, each pointing her out to their neighbors. Lily caught sight of Remus, looking sympathetic, and Jen, who was torn between looking highly sympathetic and rather like Christmas had come _very _early. James was grinning at her while Sirius smirked and Noelle had given up giggling for hysterical laughter.

She noticed, with an even worse feeling of dread, that Jen held a spun-glass ball in her hands… _Oh, God, it's a **Memory Keeper**, I'm never going to live this one down…_

And just as Lily was contemplating all the possible ways that she could destroy the thing before anybody saw it, the world exploded.

X-X-X-X-X

Janine aimlessly perused her Potions textbook, attempting (rather unsuccessfully) to read the tiny print before her. Upon realizing she had read the same sentence eleven times and not taken in a word of it, she thought it a good idea to close it now…

A loud banging erupted on her door, and Janine was jerked out of the unbelievable boredom of sitting in the dorm by herself. Curiously, she went to the door – none of her dormmates would ever have _knocked _– and opened it. A first-year girl looked beside herself, her eyes curiously roving all over the room, as if determined to find out whether or not the sixth-years' dorm was any better than the first-years', as Janine had smartly informed them all on the first day of class that it was. (This was a lie).

"Janine, Janine, your brother's lookin' for you, he's sayin' somethin' awful's gonna happen and he really needs you there!" She said all this very fast.

Janine had long since learned to take anything her brother said seriously. Shoving the girl out of the way, she sprinted down the steps, nearly tripped over the last ones, and came to a stop before Perry, who was wildly gesticulating to a group of first and second years who looked somewhat panicked and somewhat dubious.

"What's wrong, what's wrong?" As the only upperclassman who had stayed behind, Janine felt a sense of authority fill her, and she drew herself up to her full height (5'7").

"Look!" Perry was pointing out the window. Janine peered out, and felt her stomach drop.

The normally gray-February sky was tainted orange, and smoke was billowing in the direction of Hogsmeade village.

X-X-X-X-X

James gasped, coughing, as he shoved a plank of wood off his back. _Damn, I think I must have broken at least a billion ribs…_

"You haven't _got _a billion ribs in your body, idiot!" Sirius was crawling towards him, a long, bloody scrape running down the side of his face. He was holding his side, and when he removed his hand from it, it came away red. A coldness filled James's veins.

"Padfoot… Pad… you're _bleeding…_"

"What's going on?" Sirius hissed, but was interrupted by a loud laughter. He froze and turned to the doorway – a cloaked figure stood there, pointing a wand in the general direction of the pub-goers.

"Well, well, well… trapped like peas in a pod. How _sad._" James frowned. The voice stirred a very distant memory of his, but he couldn't quite locate it. "Shall we get them?"

A taller man stepped forward, his face too shrouded in a cloak. "Let's get them."

James shrugged his robes off anxiously – he was dressed normally beneath him, and thus wouldn't attract so much attention – and reached inside his jeans pocket for his wand, training it on the shorter of the two – the woman. Beside him, he saw Sirius target the man. "Count of three, Padfoot."

"Right."

"One…"

"Two…"

"Thr…"

_"STUPEFY!"_

Startled, James leapt to his feet, and saw Lily Evans wiping a grimy hand across the blood on her cheek. The shorter Death Eater – for James was now certain that's what they were – flew off her feet, but was not stunned. The man whipped around and growled low in his throat.

"It's the Mudblood. Remember not to kill her." The woman got to her feet, spitting blood onto the dust and wood covered floor of what had previously been the Three Broomsticks. James saw, out of the corner of his eye, Madam Rosmerta, cowering behind her counter, but still gripping her wand in shaking hands. _Good. She can protect herself, then._ He nodded imperceptibly towards her, and turned to face his attackers. Both were focused on Lily, who was shaking with rage and gripping her wand.

"You'll regret that, Mudblood." The woman spat blood aside, and let her hood fall, revealing dark hair and dark eyes. "You'll _regret _that."

"Bite me."

"I may do that, little girl," replied the male Death Eater, advancing. James decided to take action.

"_Diffindo!" _The man shot off his feet to avoid the spell as the woman whirled. Her face triggered a memory, although James couldn't quite place it.

"Potter," the woman spat. "And look, it's Black, too. It figures that you two would try and save the Mudblood. How _noble._" Without another word, she raised her wand and snarled, "_Crucio!"_

Both Sirius and James flung themselves to opposite sides. James landed hard on his stomach, knocking the wind from him, but Sirius rolled to his feet and hissed, "_Reducto!" _The woman screamed and flailed; a hole appeared in the corner of her cloak as she barely managed to evade the hex. She scowled at Sirius.

"_Serpensortia!" _A black snake shot out of the end of her wand and slithered towards Sirius, who yelped as it bared sharp fangs at him. James chanced a quick glance at Lily, who was busy dueling with the male Death Eater, who had yet to reveal his face.

"Stop fighting, girl, it does you no good," the man snarled. Blood tripped from his hood.

"James!" Lily shouted across the wrecked room to him, her eyes never leaving her opponent's. At any other time, James would have been thrilled to be called by his given name, but this fact did not register at the moment. "Get the younger students out of here!" James whirled around, and saw that some of the younger students were tentatively huddled behind tables and chairs. _Where the hell are Remus and Peter? I **swear **I saw Jen King here, too…_

"You heard her – go!" James bellowed, not willing to leave his best friend and crush alone with a pair of clearly experienced Death Eaters. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Remus slink along the wall – _Thank God, there he is_ – and gently push a younger student. That was all it took – the small boy fled out the door. Neither Death Eater took notice.

"_Imperio!" _James flung himself around just in time to see Sirius blasted off his feet and into a wall by the spell. Remus, who was halfway towards the door, spun and froze as Padfoot shakily got to his feet, his hands trembling. The woman smirked wildly. "Couldn't dodge a snake _and _a curse, could you?" She waved her wand; the snake started for Remus, whose eyes flew wildly to it. "Well, now, Black… go catch the redheaded Mudblood and bring her here." Involuntarily, Sirius's feet began to move, although his face held a vacant expression. James looked at his wand anxiously. He didn't want to hex his friend. So he did the only other thing he could do.

He launched himself at the woman, seizing her wand, and snapped it in half swiftly. Sirius swung around, the glazed and vacant expression disappearing from his face. The woman screamed a very loud scream as James pulled his fist back and slammed it into her stomach, taking her breath away. Her fingernails scrabbled at his arm viciously, and he could feel the marks begin to bleed, but he focused his eyes on her face as he hit her, again and again…

"_Expelliarmus!" _James flew across the room, his wand flying in the opposite direction. Sirius lunged for it; the male Death Eater got there first. Lily took advantage of the situation to shove Remus out the door with a snap of, "Get help!" before whirling, bringing her wand up. Then she froze.

The female Death Eater, who James still vaguely recognized but could not place, was pointing her wand threateningly at him James. He lay on the ground, his glasses a few feet away, his vision hazy, staring up at her as she pointed her wand down at him. "Move and I'll kill your speccy boyfriend," she snarled. Lily's eyes flashed, whether from fury at being foiled from throwing a hex or at the insinuation that she'd date James. He fervently hoped it was the former. "Now put your wand down."

Slowly, very slowly –_ Don't do it! _James's mind screamed, but of course she couldn't hear him – she bent over and placed her wand on the floor. Her curly red hair threatening to escape the engraved clip keeping it out of her face; her pale skin was bruised and blood dripped from a cut above her eye, and she looked livid.

"_PETRIFICUS TOTALUS!" _Lily's head snapped around as a spell whooshed at her – and past her, hitting the wall as the woman jerked away from James. He stared. Janine – looking amazingly clean – stood in the doorway, her eyes flashing. Dumbledore and McGonagall stood behind her.

With a crack, the pair of Death Eaters apparated.

James let loose a sigh of relief and slumped against the wall, surveying the wreckage. Thankfully, all of the students, but for Lily, Sirius, Janine, and, of course, himself, seemed to have left.

Lily shook her head. "I thought you couldn't apparate from Hogwarts," she whispered. "I always assumed that included Hogsmeade."

"It does," Dumbledore replied gravely, gently moving Janine out of the way as he came to help Lily. McGonagall moved swiftly towards him, bending down and peering into his face. "Up you get, Potter," she murmured softly.

"Then why didn't the wards work?" Sirius asked loudly. He was leaning against a wall, holding his side. Janine wove her way through the wreckage and stood before him. At the moment, in his stooped position, their eyes were level. Gray eyes met blue, and a look of understanding passed between them. Sirius straightened momentarily and leaned against his ex-girlfriend – possibly no longer an ex – gratefully. He looked at Dumbledore. "Sir?"

"They must have been tampered with. In these times, such wards must be strengthened." He nodded to McGonagall. "The staff should be put to dealing with that."

"Please, sir…" Everyone looked at Lily, who was fishing James's wand from where the male Death Eater had left it. She came over and handed it to him; he took it with relief, and grabbed his glasses from nearby, jamming them onto his face. "The villagers are going to need help rebuilding the Three Broomsticks, and I thought…"

"It is a kind thought, Miss Evans, and I will have announcements put up, asking for any students who wish to volunteer their free time to help rebuild. I'm afraid, however, that it is more than just the Three Broomsticks…"

"Was anybody…?" Janine trailed off. Dumbledore looked at her gravely.

"Seven. Four students, three villagers." Sirius, whose arm had been wrapped around her shoulders, tightened as Janine looked down. "We must deal with our wounded. Are you well enough to walk, Lily?" he added kindly.

"Yes sir." Lily looked down at James. "You all right?"

James nodded, although the pain in his ribs was coming back now. "Yeah," he finally ground out. For a moment – just for a moment, but it was there – a look of sympathy flashed through the redhead's eyes. Then she nodded.

"Good. Because we'll need to help the teachers get any injured back to the castle."

James nodded tiredly, pocketing his wand. For the moment, it was over.

X-X-X-X-X

A/N: Woohoo, new chapter! I hoped you guys liked this one – I realize it was a bit silly, but come ON, people, it's James Potter. What did you _expect _him to do, especially when Sirius is helping him? Anyway, here are the notes…

#1: Okay, super-duper-uber-mega-big-important note! **THIS IS A TURNING POINT IN THE STORY! **Things begin to change between our favorite redhead and our favorite prat (or second-favorite, if you prefer Sirius…) So be prepared for some MAJOR changes in attitude coming up now!

#2: Yeah, I didn't send this one to my betas. Sorry, I was lazy, and I wanted to get this up before I forgot. Besides, this week is Homecoming week at school, so I'll be pretty busy most of the rest of the week… which means no time to write at all this week or this weekend. Sorry, but that means you guys'll have to wait a while for the next update…

#3: Reviewers! Yeah, I love you guys! This time, a total of… (dun dun dun!) **30! **Thanks, guys! I love you all – although I'd LOVE having more reviewers, so please tell all your friends about this story! Reviews are SERIOUS motivation for writing… and yeah, I could have waited longer and gotten more reviews, but I was eager to get this up. I expect to see a billion reviews before the next update, okay! (I'm kidding, though a billion reviews would be NICE…) …Here are your individual responses…

**cilverblood** – Yeah, I'll work on making him more prattish, but I can't make any promises – it's going to be hard. Especially seeing as the whole attitude of my main characters are about to change… anyway, sorry about the semi-cliffie from the last chapter – I hope this makes up a little for it!

**Padfootz** – I'm sure I've told you this, but I LOVE your name! Keep reviewing!

**invisible2u** – Heya! Yeah, I WISH school was going well for me… another Snape plushie for you! (Someday, I'm going to HAVE to draw pictures of these plushies for all of you guys to see… whenever I get the time, I will. Anyway…) Hope you liked this chapter!

**wounded-angel** – I'm glad you like the story! Yeah, I totally agree – they can't SUDDENLY jump into bed with one another, that's just too weird. I mean, they're a far cry from sleeping together, and I'm on chapter **20**! No worries, it'll happen EVENTUALLY… but I can't say when. Keep reading!

**californiagurl** – Don't worry, I'll never quit this fic – it's too much fun. And I kind of do know what you mean about pushy friends – Gosh, mine are SO annoying sometimes. "Ooh, who do you like? Tell me tell me tell me!" Oy vey. Very annoying. I'm glad this is one of your favorites. Thanks for the review!

**Kyo-grli91** – Yeah, it is too Sirius/Janine centric. I'm trying to bring it back to Lily and James… but it's so HARD when you love Sirius so MUCH!

**Oliverwoodschic** – Oh my gosh, your review was LONG… I LOVED IT! I absolute _love _long reviews! (And yes, accents are MEGA-hot!) And I'm SO thrilled that you're a big Sirius/Janine fan… I am too! (Granted, I write the story, so I'm biased). Anyway, thank you SOO much for the review! (Someday, I am going to write a short story about Janine's non-existent brother Ben… teehee).

**DobbyGrl** – I'm trying to get 'em out as fast as possible!

**no name** – I know some people say that James was a Seeker, but JKR did say in an interview that James was a Chaser. And yes, she may have changed her mind since then, but I prefer him as a Chaser because it created some bigger differences between James and Harry – and I always figured Harry to be more like Lily than he is like James, personality-wise. So I want to make him as different as possible. Anyway, I'm glad you like the story!

**little pink sock** – I absolutely LOVE your name, too. It's so awesome! Anyway, yeah, the Quidditch WAS sort of pathetic… I promise the final will be better. :) Anyway, please keep reading – and I'm glad you like Sirius/Janine!

**nebulia** – OMG, yes… it IS a bloody soap opera, isn't it?

**Granger-gurl-rox** – Yes, I loved the line "wank off jerk," too… it seemed so positively… JANINE… it's like, you guys are ignoring each other, but she just HAS to throw that in there to be all insulting and everything. And I loved his reaction to it, too… keep reading, okay?

**BeCkY6** – Ugh, school… the bane of everyone's existence. I know how you feel. But thanks for the review!

**milky way bar** – ooh, I love Archie comics – but so many of my friends are uneducated and haven't heard of them, and I'm like, WHAT THE HELL? They ROCK!

**Celina K2** – Don't worry, I'd NEVER throw tomatoes at you. And don't worry, for the first Quidditch-packed chapter (it was like chapter 2 or something…)… it took me like a billion rewrites to do it semi-well! Oh well, the Quidditch matches WILL get better… even if I have to kill myself rewriting them. Keep reviewing!

**katmiester** – Reviews can NEVER be too long. And I'm really glad that you don't think the OC's were Mary-Sueish… I was so worried that they were. And thanks for calling me a great writer, it makes me feel all warm and fuzzy inside :)… And honestly, I have no idea what I've planned for Sirius/Janine, but I HOPE it will be something that others don't usually write when they do a Sirius/OC pairing… anyway, keep reading! And I love your reviews – the longer the better!

**YamiClara** – yeah, it IS turning into a S/J story… which is why I'm trying to change it. But I'm glad you like the story, so keep reading!

**Admiral Lily** – thanks for the review. Yeah, writing is getting harder and harder… especially when you're so tired that writer's block is ten times work. But yes, we WILL persevere!

**Spikora** – Okay, yeah, I've got to agree… thinking of Voldemort looking at Witch Weekly IS weird… but there's a REALLY good reason for it… I just have to come up with it :) Keep reading to find out!

**reckless-patience** – No worries, I'll keep writing so long as people keep reading and reviewing!

**WoWgirl22** – I'm glad you like it!

**Jamessgurl** – Oh my gosh, your review was GREAT! I love reading reviews like that! And I'm glad you like S/J… when I first started the story I was like, "Oh gosh, what if people hate them?" But you don't, and that's great! Keep reading!

**moony128** – Yeah, guys ARE stupid. I hope that thing at the beginning helped you. Anyway… yeah, James is sort of an idiot, isn't he? But he's getting better… and, well, in light of recent things, maybe Lily won't see him as SUCH a prat and realize he's a better guy, seeing as he sorta-kinda saved her life… I guess you just have to see some things for yourself… anyway. Read on!

**pokie4389** – Well… Andy is tied to a lamppost. There we go. Keep reading, okay?

**Mg-Nashisko** – Thanks for the review! And don't worry, I'm working on the next chapter, and I have a long weekend coming up soon, so I might get more done then.

**SeCrEt LiLy** – Thanks for the review – it's always great to find people who love the story. Know something stupid? I spent so long, after I posted the first chapter, being like "OMG, people are going to hate it…" and they don't! So it's great to read a review that says you like the story and characters, etc… keep reading and reviewing!

**SillyGillie** – James IS a helpless case. But it makes him so funny, don't you think?

**MercuryEclipse** – Wow, I didn't think I was THAT good… I'll read your stories as soon as I have time, I PROMISE!

**shan** – I always have a whole lot of fun writing these stories… so keep reading and reviewing, okay? I'll update ASAP…

**Nastytoiletknome** – lol, great name. Yeah, I'll update as soon as I can… keep those reviews coming, okay?

#4 – Um… I think that's it. Next chapter: …Hell if I know. Okay, seriously – The mysterious 'Tom' problem comes back to haunt our favorite Gryffindors, Lily gets a mega-attitude makeover and begins to see James in a new light, Janine and Sirius are all happy (for a little while, more drama to come!) Andy sulks a lot (thought mostly off-screen, he's not around much) and… uh… well, I can't think of anything else, so that'll have to do for now!

Anyway, tonight's my school's Homecoming, so I've got to finish getting ready – love you all! Leave me happy reviews, make me glad…

XOXO Peaches


	21. Tom Returns

Disclaimer: Characters and settings are property of J.K. Rowling. What you don't recognize is mine. And I _wish _I owned the Marauders (specifically Sirius and Remus) but most unfortunately, I do not.

Again, at the request of moony128 (I think): Okay, recap of last chapter: Lily goes to Hogsmeade with Andy, Sirius and his date sort of commandeer him and tie him to a lamppost; James sings (accompanied by Sirius in a falsetto) to Lily in front of the whole Three Broomsticks; Jen records the whole thing. Just as he finishes, Death Eaters attack the pub. James, Sirius, and Lily are our defensive specialists while Remus gets the younger students out (and I forgot to add what happens to Jen, so we'll just pretend she helps Remus with the younger students). Um, I think that's most of the important stuff. On to the next chapter!

X-X-X-X-X

"The attack on Hogsmeade was a tragedy, but it is one that we will survive. Dark times surround us now, and we must remain strong."

"Albus…"

"We will grant our consent for students to attend the funerals of their friends, so long as the grieving families will allow it."

James barely managed to avoid swearing as voices assaulted his rather tender ears. Frowning, he forced his eyes open, only to realize that he was virtually blind – no glasses – although he could still hear, despite the pounding in his head and the ringing in his ears.

"…Albus, I'm worried. This hits… closer to home. Closer than it did at the Diagon Alley attacks. It was in _Hogsmeade, _for heaven's sake!"

"I know, Minerva."

_McGonagall and Dumbledore._ James frowned, again, and craned his head to look to his right to Sirius's cot beside him – but curtains surrounded his bed. He sat up warily.

"…What do we do, Albus?"

"For the moment, we do nothing. We watch; we wait."

"What if… what if it gets worse?"

"It will get worse, Minerva, before it gets better. But I have faith in our students. The death of their classmates tells them that the time for waiting is over – the time for training is now. Those who have lost will want to fight. And they will work harder than ever." A heavy sigh. "All we can do is protect and prepare them until it is our time to release them. That's all."

Another sigh, this one from a woman – most likely McGonagall. "Potter, Black, and Evans deserve points – Lupin, too, for getting the younger students out." A pause. "Do we know who it was?"

"Mary Lestrange was the only one foolish enough to let her hood drop." It clicked in James's brain – the woman he had seen had been Mary Lestrange. She had graduated long before he had ever come to Hogwarts, but he had met her once or twice before, as a child. "But no, we have no other leads. None were caught."

"Albus, you are hiding something from me."

"Perhaps… it is not safe to discuss, Minerva. Let's go to my staff room – we'll have the others meet us there, and discuss the situation."

"You-Know-Who was behind this?"

"Say his name, Minerva. Fear of a name only increases fear of the thing itself. We must plan carefully for Tom's next move… oh, dear. I've said too much."

"Albus?"

"I believe we have an eavesdropper." James fell back against his pillows, squinting his eyes shut just as the curtains were pushed aside. There was a breath of relief.

"He appears to be sleeping."

"So he does." James could almost feel those penetrating blue eyes on him. "And so we shall let him sleep. Come, Minerva…" The footsteps receded, and James chanced a glance out of slit eyelids. The door shut behind Dumbledore. He heaved a sigh of relief.

"There was that name again. Tom." James shot out of his bed and stared across the hospital wing – on the opposite side of the aisle, Lily Evans sat up, her arms around her knees, her hair mussed from sleep, one eyelid drooping tiredly. "Who is he? Do you know?" James shook his head. "D'you think, if we asked McGonagall…"

It occurred to James, somewhere in his mind, that this was the first civil conversation they'd ever really had, short of the one back in their first year, when they'd first met (and that hadn't lasted very long). "Doubt it," he finally answered carefully. "But I reckon we ought to try finding out."

"Yearbooks," Lily said thoughtfully. "I s'pose this Tom bloke would be in there – he'd have to be, right? But there are a million and one Toms out there…"

"He'd have to be around Janine's mum's year – or something. Within six years of her. McGonagall may have been there, too." James chanced a glance at her. "Do you want to… you know, head to the library and take a look? All in the interests of research," he added hastily, as she sent a sharp glance his way. "I'm not trying to get into your pants or anything this time, I swear." His cheeks flushed a crazy red as he said the words 'this time.' _Oh, boy. I've **really **screwed this one up._

Lily was giving him a calculating book. "What you did today – or yesterday, seeing as it's nearly two in the morning, now – was a good thing, you know. It was a good thing." Her smile was wry, if quizzical. "You're an enigma, James Potter. And I doubt I shall ever know what to make of you." And she fell back against her pillows, asleep within moments, leaving James feeling as if he'd just missed the whole point of the conversation.

X-X-X-X-X

Strangely enough, Lily spent a good deal of Sunday being civil to James and his friends. She very politely said goodbye to them once she, James, and Sirius left the hospital wing together, and she very politely said hello to them twice more whenever they ran into one another throughout the day.

James didn't know what to make of it.

Also strangely enough, James, for once, did not feel the need to "stalk" Lily, as Sirius so eloquently put it. He spent a good deal of time with his friends, discussing the previous day's events in hushed voices. At dinner, Dumbledore stood up to make a formal announcement about the funerals, and a note fell into James's lap. He expected it to be from Sirius; it wasn't.

_Potter –_

_Meet me in the library at eleven tonight. Be discreet; bring your friends._

_- Lily_

James stared at it, nonplussed. He looked up to see Sirius's eyes on him – Sirius's left eyebrow twitched, which James took to mean,_ What the bloody hell is that, who the bloody hell is it from, and why the bloody hell haven't you shown it to me?_

Wordlessly, James slid the note surreptitiously across the table, making sure McGonagall didn't see it. Not that it would have mattered. Her eyes had a strangely shining quality to them, and her attention was riveted on Dumbledore – in fact, everyone's was, with the exception of Lily's, James's, and Sirius's.

Sirius shot James a surprised look, and then turned to look at Lily, who had set her mouth in a determined line. He nodded slowly. "Let's do it, then," he whispered.

Remus leaned forward. "Do what?" he asked suspiciously. "Padfoot, now's not the time for a prank-" He stopped when Sirius nearly shoved the slip of parchment up the werewolf's nose. Remus read it, and frowned. "Are you sure it's from her?" he whispered in a low voice, backing up. Dumbledore sat down; many students were crying, but the chatter gradually started back up. James felt a bit bad for having ignoring the announcement, but his heart was thumping, and for once, it had nothing to do with Lily. It was the thrill he got from the moment just before a prank was pulled, just before they plotted another, just before they snuck to Hogsmeade to swipe Firewhiskies from Madam Rosmerta, just before a full moon.

He leaned forward and looked down the table at Lily, but she was staring determinedly at her plate now. He looked over her mop of red hair to Janine, who was watching him, her blue eyes unreadable. He nodded at her; she nodded back and bent low over her food.

It was set.

X-X-X-X-X

Lily tapped her foot impatiently against the floor. _Where are you, Potter?_

One week ago, if someone had told her that she'd be standing outside the library after curfew, skulking by the door, waiting for James Potter, she would have laughed. But his actions yesterday had proven to her something that nothing else could have – she had seen his bravery first hand, how he had stepped up to her attacker to keep her from getting hurt. It was stupid, yes, but it was brave. And having seen it firsthand, she'd decided to enlist his help in finding out about this 'Tom' person.

She felt a tap at the small of her back and whirled, stifling a small scream as James grinned impishly at her. His friends were clustered behind him. "Where're yours?" he whispered in a barely audible voice.

"They're inside," Lily whispered back, barely moving her lips and making any noise at all. "We've got a load of the yearbooks, but we'll have to put them back before Pince notices any are missing."

"We couldn't just check one out at a time?" Peter asked, yawning.

"Don't be a prat; of course not. With the whole school on alert, don't you think McGonagall or Dumbledore would _notice?" _Lily snapped. "That's the _last _thing we need – for them to tell us to stop meddling in 'adult' things. So let's hurry up and finish, all right?"

"You've thought this through," Remus observed. A ratty bag was slung over his shoulder; she wondered what was in it. "You'd make a very good Marauder."

"A Marauderess," Sirius said with a grin. "A Marauderette. But then, you're so pretty, you'd be distracting us all the time, with those luminous green eyes, that vivid red hair…"

"Hmph." Lily led the way to the study room, letting the door swing back and hit Sirius in the face ("Ow!" "Shut up, Padfoot, it's the middle of the night!") Shaking her head wryly, she hoisted herself onto the table and waited for the boys to come in.

The four boys trooped in to find four out of five girls busily working. Lily watched them, and then pointed to a stack of yearbooks at the end of the table. "Start there. Any fellow named Tom, write down his name and year."

"He'd have to be pureblood," Remus said reasonably.

"A Slytherin, too," added Jen from the spot where she was making a list. She glanced up and made a face at the boys. "There are too many bloody fellows named Tom in Slytherin, though. And there are about twelve years to cover – and we've only just started."

"How are we supposed to know if they're pureblood or not, though?" Peter asked. Lily kicked a book over to him; he stared down at it: _Nature's Nobility: A Wizarding Genealogy_.

"We'll have to take it in turns, looking through that thing," explained Jen. "There are three copies of it here; we took 'em all out. And we figured most of us purebloods will know a lot of family names anyway, so that's one way to figure out a bunch of them. For the rest of you – we share those." She buried her nose in a book again.

Janine sighed and kicked her shoes off, tucking her feet beneath her. "This is going to take _ages._"

"There are only twelve," pointed out Sirius.

"Yes, but once we've found all the Toms, then we have to figure out _which _one it is."

"Remind we why we're doing this again?" There was a pause. Peter looked around. "What? It's a totally valid question."

"Interesting. Why _are _we doing this?" Alyssa asked, covering a yawn.

Janine glowered at her friend, and then at them all. "Because I want to know! If you lot don't care, then shove off – I'll do it myself." Still glowering, she yanked the book up to hide her already burning face.

"She's tetchy because she's got a feeling that this Tom fellow has something to do with her mum; that they seemed to know each other," explained Jen in a stage whisper. A copy of _Nature's Nobility _went flying in the general direction of her head; she ducked. "Your aim is god-awful when you're tired," she told her brunette friend, and ducked again as another copy came her way. Jen stuck her tongue out and busied herself with flipping animatedly through the pages of her yearbook.

Lily rolled her eyes and looked at the boys. "Start flipping through the yearbooks. Find all the Toms in the Slytherin that you can, and then look for anything else that might be interesting."

"What, like a caption that say 'Most Likely to Become Evil Dark Lord'?" Sirius quipped. Lily glowered at him, and then buried her nose in her book.

The boys exchanged looks and settled down to read.

X-X-X-X-X

_Two Hours Later…_

"Finished," Marlene announced, shutting the last book. She looked at the list, and grimaced. "Oh, bloody hell. I _really _hope that this fellow is on that list. They're all purebloods, all Slytherins?"

"Yep," Janine replied, peering at the list of six names. "Dammit, why does every person seem to name their son Tom? What's wrong with names like George and Derek?" She sighed. "And these are _only _the Slytherins. And there are _six _– Merlin knows what sort of research we're going to have to do to figure out which one it is. Why the hell does _everyone _have to name their son Tom?"

"It's a common name," Lily replied absently, looking at the list. She sighed, and began to reshelf the books. "How do we go about figuring out which one he is, then?"

James frowned, looking thoughtful. "I hadn't thought of that."

"That much," the redhead replied, "is obvious." But she was giving him a tired smile as she said it. "But we've done something, and it's one in the morning now. So shall we get off to bed, then?" There were murmurs of assent, and people began to gather the things up. Remus stuffed the parchment and the quills in his bag; when he reached his hand down there, he felt the invisibility cloak sliding through his fingers. His eyes met James's – of the girls, only Janine knew about the cloak, and that was because she had caught James in it when they were nine.

They glanced at one another. "You go first," Jen ordered Lily, giving her a shove. "That way, if anyone sees you, you can say you were patrolling and thought you'd heard something in here, and went to check it out. You can lure teachers away if there're any, too." Lily nodded, and disappeared out the door.

The rest waited five minutes, and then Marlene and Jen left – three minutes after that, Janine and Alyssa left, leaving the four boys behind. "Pads, Wormtail – you two change while Remus and I get under the cloak," James ordered. Remus held the cloak out, but Sirius's voice stopped them.

"What if it's _not _a Slytherin? I mean, for certs, this Tom fellow is a pureblood if he's You-Know-Who – and it sounds like he is – but what if he's a Ravenclaw, say? Ravenclaw's are smart, and I'm sure there's bound to be an evil one now and then…"

"Slytherins is a good place to start," James replied. "If we find nothing – then we go on to the Ravenclaws." He made a face. "Merlin, I hope it's not a Gryffindor."

Remus shrugged. "Speculation isn't going to get us anywhere right now. We need to concentrate on figuring out which one is the Tom we're looking for… if it's one of the ones we found at all."

"He's right," Peter piped up drowsily. "So let's dwell on it tomorrow, eh, mates?" Without waiting for a reply, he changed, and disappeared into the shadows. James met Sirius's eyes; the other boy nodded and slowly changed into a bear-like dog form that leapt back onto it's hind legs and pushed the door open. It swung open; the dog disappeared into the silent hall. That left Remus and James.

"No point thinking about it now," pointed out Remus, crouching so that James could swing the cloak over them. "Let's just get to sleep now," he added in a whisper. Extinguishing the lights with a flick of his wand, they surveyed the library – no one would know that they had been there – and left.

X-X-X-X-X

Humming to herself, Lily strode down the hall. She would be early for Transfiguration, which was fine – it would give her a bit of time to sort out her thoughts. During lunch, she and her group had sat with James and his friends. They had actually had a pleasant conversation, and not once had James made a pass at her. _Maybe he really is changing, _she thought, and smiled. _That would be nice._

She stopped suddenly, seeing a lone figure leaning against the door of the Transfiguration classroom. From down the hall, where she stood, Lily could see the yellow and black tie that stood starkly out against the plain gray of the person's vest. She heaved a breath. She had known this conversation would come.

"Hullo, Andy," she said pleasantly, hoisting her bag further up her shoulder as she halted before him. "You don't take N.E.W.T. Transfiguration, so why are you here?"

He gave her a feeble smile. "To talk to you, actually."

_I figured. _"Oh? About what?" She gave him a falsely innocent smile.

He made a face, although the smile remained. "Nice try. You can drop the act, by the way. I get it." He shoved his hands in his pockets. "I heard about what happened in the Three Broomsticks, by the way. I s'pose I should have been glad Black tied me to a lamppost in the alley, then."

Lily's eyes widened. "He did _what?"_

"I didn't get hurt," Andy pointed out. "So really, I ought to be thanking him, but I'm not going to." He shrugged. "And I suppose our date would have gotten cut short anyway."

"Yes, it would have," she agreed, hefting her books. They were heavy. "So what _exactly _did you want to talk about, anyway?"

He shrugged. "I just wanted to tell you that I'm awfully sorry our date got cut short." He gave her a smile. "Although it wasn't really my fault."

"No, it wasn't, so don't apologize. Er… was that all?"

"More or less, yeah." He shrugged. "So I'll see you 'round, I guess. Oh, and… er… congratulations about you and Potter. Lucky bloke, he is."

Lily gave him a mystified look. "Me and Potter?"

"Well, yes. You're dating now, aren't you? Everyone thinks you are." Lily muttered a curse; Andy grinned slowly. "Well, guess not. Oh, well. Guess some other bloke will get that honor, then." His grin faded, replaced by a slightly strained smile. "I thought you were dating Potter, the way you've been being all nice to him…"

"No, I'm not." Lily paused, and then asked half-heartedly, "You know, there'll be other Hogsmeade trips. Maybe you wanted to go with me to the next one…?"

He flinched. "Ouch. Try and sound a bit more excited at the prospect, would you?" She flushed brightly. "No, it's all right. You've never taken the initiative with any guy before, so I'm flattered that I was the first. By the way, I heard Janine and Black got back together. Is it true?"

Lily started at the abrupt change of subject. "Er… yes, I suppose it is."

"Damn." Lily blinked; why would _that _annoy him? "Anyway, thanks for the offer of a Hogsmeade date, but no thanks; I value my head."

She made a face. "I thought you weren't really scared of Potter. Well… you said you were, but I thought you were kidding and just didn't want trouble."

"I _was _kidding." Andy made a face. "It's not Potter I'm scared of, anyway. It's Black." He walked away.

Lily watched him go. _Now what was **that **supposed to mean?_

X-X-X-X-X

Moments after Lily had settled down, Remus Lupin casually entered the Transfiguration classroom, although McGonagall was not yet there. "Hi. Thought you'd get some extra work in, too?"

"No, just wanted to think."

"Well, think away. Hope I'm not interrupting."

"Oh, of course not." Lily observed him sit at the table before her and pull out his Transfiguration book and notes. Watching him unscrew a bottle of ink and take out a quill, she commented casually, "Forgot to do your homework?"

"Hardly. I'm not my friends. I do my homework ahead of time."

"Smart of you."

"Yes, it is." He wrote his name in a delicate script at the top of a blank sheet of parchment, and then turned in his chair to face her. "By the way, I saw you talking to Cobalt. I hope he wasn't rude."

"No, although he was acting odd."

"Understandable. After Sirius's talk with him, it would make sense. He's sulking, after all. If he can't have you, he might have pursued Janine, since she and Sirius had broken up, but they're back together, so he can't do that either. So he sulks, instead."

_So **that's **why he seemed so strange._ "Oh." She waited a beat, and then asked, "Has Black… er… _said _anything to Andy? He seems to be terrified of offending Black." _All right, **terrified** is a bit strong, _she admitted to herself, although she didn't say it aloud.

"I don't know exactly what he said, but I suppose it was something along the lines of 'Stay away from Lily and Janine,' possible with a few veiled threats added in." Remus paused, and then added, "Then again, considering it's Sirius, perhaps there were some not-so-veiled threats, too."

Lily sighed. "I wish he'd butt out."

"He's James's best friend. There's no way he'd ever butt out. Besides, Cobalt commented on Janine, didn't he?"

"Yes, he did."

"That probably made Sirius angrier." Remus chewed on his quill. "Have you started that Charms Essay for Thursday?"

Lily blinked. "No."

"Oh. Well, never mind."

"…By the way, what happened to Noelle Donahue when Sirius got back with Janine?"

Remus shrugged. "She pouted for a while, and then ran off with some seventh-year Ravenclaw. Although I hear she's with a Hufflepuff now."

Lily shook her head. "Unbelievable."

Remus's smile was ironic. "Well, you know what they say. It takes a slut to date a slut."

Lily pretended to look injured. "Hey, Janine is dating Sirius, you know."

"Yeah. And it takes a slut to date a slut."

"Who's a slut?" Lily and Remus looked up as Sirius sauntered in, one arm around Janine's shoulders. Lily and Remus exchanged looks, and began to laugh. "Hey, what's so funny? I mean, seriously, who's a slut?"

X-X-X-X-X

_Lily felt a tugging on her hair, and whirled. "Leave me alone!" she hissed to Patrick, one of the boys in her third grade class. He grinned toothily at her._

_"What's the matter, pumpkin-head?"_

_  
"Don't call me that, or I'll-"_

_"Lily Evans, turn around this instant and pay attention!" Lily whirled; the teacher, Mrs. Johnson, shook her head. "Lily, how many times do I have to tell you to pay attention? Lily…"_

_  
"Sorry," Lily mumbled. The teacher turned back to her teaching, Lily scowled at Patrick. He smirked. She tried to pay attention, and felt a tugging on her hair. "Stop it," she hissed. She turned, and felt a poke in the back, following by another, and another. She whirled furiously, snarling, "Leave me alone, puke-face, or I'm gonna-"_

"Puke-face? That's a new one."

Lily jerked up and the top of her head smacked into James Potter's nose, sending his glasses flying down the table, coming to a rest very near Peter's elbow. Lily frowned dizzily, forcing her eyes to focus on James's. She saw the confusion in his hazel eyes, and then looked down the table. Sirius was stretched out across a table, snoring like a chainsaw. Janine had decided to use his chest as a pillow and was curled up at his side, her hair fluttering whenever she breathed. Remus was leaning against a wall, snoring at minute intervals. Peter, too, was asleep against a wall, with Jen asleep on his right shoulder and Alyssa asleep on his left. Marlene was stretched out across two chairs, pillowing her head with her arms. Lily blinked and turned to James, who had a sleepy smile on his face. "I fell asleep, didn't I?"

"It's all right. I only wanted to wake you up to tell you that I got an owl from our major domo house elf." He waved a parchment. "I asked him – the house elf, that is – to do some snooping around my parents' study, and he found something that might interest you. Good thing, too, because we haven't been getting anywhere with all this nonsense of looking through books and looking for 'Most Likely to Become Evil Dark Lord' or whatever it was… Anyway, what I found was… educational."

"Educational?"

"Well, it might help a little. It certainly clears a few things up, and I've got a few ideas for where we can get even _more _information now. I mean, it's nothing really special – no pictures saying 'Most Likely to Become Evil Dark Lord', but…"

Lily held back a giggle and held out her hand for the parchment. James wordlessly handed it over, watching her read it.

_Master James,_

_Caddy is looking through the study as you was asking Caddy to, but Caddy was not find much except for a box of old letters. They was all addressed to Mistress Katherine, from Mistress Margaret Morgan. Caddy is not able to send them all, but Caddy is sending a few copies. Caddy is hoping they are helpful. Caddy would have looked more, but Master Edward is coming in and asking what is Caddy doing. Caddy is very sorry, and sends some sweets from the kitchen to make up for it._

- _Caddy_

"So? Where are these letters, then?" James held out a bundle of yellowing envelopes, held together by a sloppily tied blue ribbon. She glanced at it and raised an eyebrow; James flushed.

"I tried to retie it, and, ah… it didn't work so well." He cleared his throat. "Anyway, go ahead and read them."

"Your mum won't miss these, will she?"

"Nah, doubt it. I don't think they've been touched in years."

Lily opened the first one and began to read.

_Dear Katy,_

_It was fine; my parents **loved** Tom! My mother said later that he was a very nice boy with enormous potential – although she added that I had best hold onto him, as he seems the type to turn lots of heads. She made a lot of other comments that I'll wait until we return to school to tell you – but I really think it might work out!_

_Of course, Papa said that he isn't very rich, which isn't so good, but he does seem like the type to be a very successful – what did he call it? Oh, yes, an **entrepreneur**. I'm not certain he really likes Tom, but I think that's mostly because he wants me to marry a pureblood. But he says that Tom's mother's family is old blood, so I suppose it's all right anyway. Besides, the fact that Tom is Head Boy probably helps._

_But Mother says that Tom is a very proper young boy, and that he should be good for me. I have a feeling she's got some designs for marriage – and me, only fifteen! Goodness knows I don't plan on getting married anytime **soon.**_

_By the way, I enclosed a few of those raspberry chocolates that Eddy likes so much – see to it that he gets them, will you? Mother doesn't want me talking with him anymore – she says he has too many feminist ideas._

_I hope your Christmas has been as wonderful as mine – I'll be sure to tell you all the details of Tom's visit here once we return to school. Say hello to your parents for me._

_All my love,_

_ Meg_

Lily glanced up. "Meg would be Janine's mum, right? And Katy is yours…"

James nodded. "Yeah. Keep reading – there's more to know." Lily looked at the next letter. It was dated quite a bit later than the previous one – this one was written in late August.

_Dear Katy,_

_Tom's finally left for Albania, and not a moment too soon. He says he's got some 'work' to do, and it's all very mysterious, and I'm worried he's getting into Dark magics now. There are so many things I never told you about what he did during the last year…_

_I don't want to put it in a letter, just in case, but he pushed me down the stairs yesterday. Thank heavens for quick heals, because I broke my collarbone in the fall. I didn't tell mother who did it, of course, but in her eyes, Tom can do no wrong. I want to break up with him, but I'm almost frightened to._

_What worries me more is Will. He's been dropping by very often, even though he **knows **my parents hate him, but that's not the worst of it. I have a feeling that Father saw him, at least once, and that he might tell Tom that Will has been coming to see me. I know Tom will be furious if he knows; you know how he gets ridiculously jealous over these small things._

_The worst part is that Will kissed me before he left, and I have to make sure Tom never finds out, so please keep these letters safely…_

Lily stopped reading and looked up. "Will… isn't that Janine's dad?"

James nodded, his throat suddenly dry. "I know. Pretty bad, eh? If you read the rest of the letters – well, it looks like Mrs. Garnet's parents were just waiting for her to graduate so she could get married to this 'Tom' fellow. She broke it off, we know that much, but, it sounds like this 'Tom' was somewhat abusive, or got to be…" James shook his head. "It isn't much to go on, but I thought, maybe, if we asked Janine's aunt…"

"Hmm. Yeah, her aunt may be more willing to tell us something. So this Tom is an ex-boyfriend, and an abusive one at that, and if he's the Dark Lord…" Lily swore softly. "Blimey, I never would have thought-"

"I don't think Janine knows," James said in a low voice. "So I don't plan on telling her unless we're sure. It could be someone different. It might just be a coincidence."

Lily pulled on her lower lip, no longer listening to James. _It's too weird to be a coincidence… but wait…_ She looked at the letter again. "_Besides, the fact that Tom is Head Boy probably helps… and me, only fifteen, goodness known I don't plan on getting married anytime soon…"_ Lily's eyebrows shot up.

"What is it?"

She looked frantically up at James, suddenly breathless. "What year did Janine's mum graduate?"

"Er…" James screwed up his eyes, thinking. "Summer of 1946, I think. Why?"

"1946… two years before that… he graduated in 1944!"

"Who did?" James was perplexed, but Lily was on a roll.

"Tom did, that's who! Oh, I'm so brilliant! See, it says that Janine's mum was fifteen in the letter, but Tom was Head Boy, which means he was seventeen, and so two years older than she was, and-"

"What are you being so loud?" Alyssa demanded sleepily, her voice slurred. Lily ignored her, grabbing a book from a nearby shelf and frantically flipping through it.

"Tom, Tom, Tom… Tom Riddle, ha!" She glanced at the list, and then frowned. "Hang on – there's no Tom Riddle on this list."

"Well, no," James replied, still looking confused. "Riddle isn't a wizarding family."

Lily screwed up her eyes, concentrating, and it came to her… "_I'm not certain he really likes Tom, but I think that's mostly because he wants me to marry a pureblood…_"

"What's going on?" Jen asked, yawning and rubbing sleep from her eyes. "What's going-?" She shrieked when Lily grabbed her by the shoulders and shook her. "WHAT ARE YOU-"

"Who's there?" The nine of them froze – now everyone was awake. In less than ten seconds, they'd scattered, several of them running out the door, the others ducking behind bookshelves – Remus grabbed the list and disappeared out the door – James grabbed Lily and the letters, pulled Lily underneath the table, and threw something over the two of them.

Madam Pince, wearing a horribly ratty purple dressing gown, shuffled out of a side room in what might have been fluffy slippers at some point, looking around beadily. "I heard _noises,_" she said in a low voice. She was walking right towards Lily and James.

_Oh, God, we're going to get caught – _

Madam Pince bent down, peering under the table, right into Lily and James's faces. Lily gulped, and opened her mouth, searching frantically for an explanation, when James slid his hand over her mouth. She glanced at him; he shook his head, putting a warning finger to his lips. Startled, Lily pointed to Madam Pince, who was not two feet away from them, and James shook his head again.

Madam Pince hmphed and straightened up, picking up the yearbooks and placing them back on the shelves. "Some silly student, leaving all my books out…" She yawned sleepily and shuffled back to her room. Lily watched her go, feeling more and more confused by the moment. James pulled something away from Lily; she watched him stuff it in his pocket, but couldn't make out what it was.

Slowly, one by one, the others poked their heads cautiously from their hiding places (the ones that hadn't fled the library, anyway). They nodded swiftly to one another and left in pairs before Madam Pince could come back, leaving Lily and James.

"That was close," James said uncomfortably, but he quailed beneath Lily's heated glare. She held a palm out.

"All right, Potter, out with it! What did you do? No way she could have missed us – she was two feet away, not even Madam Pince is _that _blind-"

James gave her a guilty look. "I can't tell you that, Lily." His eyes were pleading. "Please don't ask me to tell you how."

It was probably the pleading in James's voice that made Lily want to slink away and forget about the incident, and she had to admit, she was very curious as to how James had managed to get away with this one. Besides, it would probably clue her in to how James and his motley crew were always sneaking around the school. "Tell me, Potter." She set her jaw.

James's pleading look became more pronounced than ever. "I'm _begging _you not to make me tell. Please? See, I'm even saying please. Please?"

"I'll kiss you."

James reeled back, startled. "You'll _what?"_

"If you tell me, I'll kiss you. No joke. I mean it, Potter. One, honest snog from me to you, in return for seeing that… thing that's in your pocket. That hid us."

X-X-X-X-X

James paused. It was a very tempting offer. To be able to kiss Lily, without her slapping him, with her kissing him _back…_

_No! Stupid, stupid, stupid! If she finds out you've got an Invisibility Cloak, she'll go straight to McGonagall with it…_

_One kiss…_

_HELLO! YOU WILL BE IN DETENTION FOR THE REST OF YOUR LIFE!_

_One little, teensy, kiss…_

_POTTER! WAKE UP! YOU'RE AN IDIOT! SHE'S A DAMN GIRL! GET YOUR KISSES LATER! _(At another point, it would occur to James that this voice that was so vehemently telling him to not give in was Sirius's voice.)

_One, honest snog from her to you…_

_NO! NO! NOOOO…!_

"Yeah, okay. Deal."

X-X-X-X-X

Lily took a deep breath, steeling herself, leaning over, and very firmly pressed her lips against James's. She might have left it at that and pulled back, but James's hands immediately settled on her waist, and Lily instantly responded by sliding her arms around his neck, one hand going into James's very messy hair.

James's tongue began to insistently demand access to her mouth, and, automatically, it seemed, her mouth opened under his.

And that was her undoing.

The kiss was heated and wild; it made Lily's head swim. She frantically tried to regain her hold on her sanity, but when James brought one hand up to stroke the back of her neck, she promptly lost it again.

James pressed her up against the table, his mouth demanding and unyielding. Lily did her best to keep up with him, but no one had ever kissed her that way before. One of his hands was tugging at her shirt, to what end a sane Lily had no idea, and she was raking his hair back, pulling him closer, needing to be closer…

When the need for air became too painful to ignore, she wrenched away, pretending not to notice that she'd jerked James's hair even more awry that she'd ever seen it, pretending not to notice the way her shirt had _somehow _been pushed upwards and slightly askew, pretending not to notice how dark James's hazel eyes had become.

"I've got to go," she blurted, completely forgetting to ask what he had in his pocket. "Bye."

She fled the library.

X-X-X-X-X

A/N: Whee! We finally discover who that dratted Tom is – well, Lily does, anyway – and we get a nice L/J snog. That and a heartfelt discussion between Lily and Remus… okay, so it's not so heartfelt, but at least we know what happened to Andy Cobalt at Hogsmeade. Boy, he's a grouchy fellow, eh? But then, I suppose, if I'd just gotten tied to a lamppost by my date's scary stalker's best friend (that's Sirius, if you didn't catch that) and his current slut (as referred to by Remus), I'd be grouchy too. Anyway. I know this chapter is a little bit shorter (actually, I don't know if it is or not, but let's pretend it is for the sake of my comments) but I hope it was… informative. And we get some L/J action! That's a good thing, right?

And yeah, I know I didn't send this to my betas. I'm lazy; so sue me.

Okay, questions, questions… First of all, I _know _Remus seemed a bit of a coward last chapter, not helping and all, but keep in mind that there are a whole lot of third, four, and fifth years in the pub, and we'll pretend for now that most of the seventh-years were elsewhere. In any case, _somebody's _got to get the students from the younger years out. I don't think that makes him a coward, it's just that he knows that if he stays behind to help fight – it may not have done much good anyway, and besides, there's more of a chance of a casualty with one of the younger years making a foolish mistake or something. Moving right along…

Okay, about the memory keeper… will it get destroyed? Probably not. I mean, I want Harry to see it at _some _point in his life… oh, come on, you didn't think I'd just write Lily and James's story and leave it there, did you? I've got to see this through the end – and that means writing Harry's sixth and seventh years, and then some.

Okay, now, that kiss might have been moving a little fast (I'm sorry, I suck at writing romantic scenes, you'll have to forgive me for it), especially what with James, er… tugging on her shirt. But he _is _a sixteen-year-old boy, and he's been avoiding girls for a while now in hopes of getting Lily to notice him. Besides, he _is _still James, and he _is _still a prat, so I really don't expect him to be above that.

And yeah, it did occur to me at some point – why exactly WERE they looking up Tom anyway? I mean, they're a bunch of teenagers – why do they even CARE?! Well, as we now know, Janine's mother was involved with Tom Riddle, and, if I ever decide to write the story of Tom Riddle's time, you may find that Kat and Edward Potter had a few problems with him, too. But that's not really important to this story. It's kind of… un-vital.

Oh, yeah, and something I just discovered – Sirius's eyes are gray. JKR said so herself. Well, that's TOO DAMN BAD because I happen to _like _my Sirius with his very blue eyes, and I'M NOT CHANGING IT! (By the way, this particular point is not addressed to anyone who wanted me to change Sirius's eyes – especially because none of you ever commented on his eyes, but anyway –, it's just that it irritates me… I have this wonderfully sexy picture in my head of Sirius with bright blue eyes, and then she goes and says that they're gray. Well, too bad. In my world, I am queen, and if I say Sirius has blue eyes, THEN HE HAS BLUE EYES! So there.)

I can't think of any other serious questions to address, but if you've got any, leave a review and tell me. And as always, thanks for the reviews! Here are your responses:

**SillyGillie**: I know, I love how they can sort of read each other's minds. That's _true _friendship for you. It's like my mom and me actually. We always finish each other's sentences, and it's really funny… hmm. That has _definitely _got to happen more often in this fic. Thanks for your review!

**californiagurl**: I'm glad you liked the chapter! Yeah, I know – Lily's embarrassment. It's like, "OMG, I would _hate _to be her right then." But I still think what James did is, um… 'sweet.' Anyway, I hope you liked this chapter too!

**DobbyGrl**: Another chapter, just for you! And, well, all the other reviewers, but ANYWAY… I hope you liked this one, too!

**Dreammergurl2007**: Ugh, I know, it was a TOTAL disaster. I was like, as if Lily's day could NOT get any worse. And she didn't even get a kiss from her date. :( Oh well, she got one from James in this chapter, and that's good enough!

**little pink sock**: I hope you liked this chapter, too. I never intended for Remus to come across as a coward, by the way, but I guess he sort of did, didn't he? I hope the earlier note helped clear up why he didn't hang around to help although, come to think of it, he probably should have… Hmm. Oh well.

**SeCrEt LiLy**: I'm glad is your favorite prat. Mine too. :) See, Sirius is really less of a prat and more of an arrogant bastard, but that's okay, because I _like _him as an arrogant bastard, you know?

**Silver Running Water**: First of all – cool name. Major props for that one. And I'm really touched that you think I'm a good writer – I keep looking back at my chapters and was like, "what the HELL was I thinking there?" But it's nice to know that you think the story is going well. And don't worry, I'm really going to try not to rush it. I guess the kiss was sort of rushed, but it had to start SOMEWHERE, so I figured it may as well be with a very fiery kiss that's going to send Lily running away whenever James comes into view. It's like one step forward and a bazillion steps backwards in their relationship…

**lildrummergrl719**: I'm glad you liked the last chapter, and I hope you liked this one too. I'm always like, at the end of a chapter, "Oh, God, should I have ended it there? Should I add more?" But I think I ended it at a good place with the last one, and hopefully at a good place with this one too.

**YamiClara**: I know, seven deaths is a lot. The thing is, though, Voldemort has to start becoming prominent now because it's their sixth year, and starting in the summer before seventh year, they all make a bunch of important decisions – and I mean _all _of them, our Gryffindors, Snape, and even Narcissa and Bellatrix Black… everyone. And all of their decisions are based around Voldemort and what _he's _doing, so… yeah. Anyway, I hope you like this chapter!

**jamesnlily4ever**: Wow. 32 times? That's _a lot. _I'm thrilled. Really, I am. I am like jumping up and down that someone likes my story that much. Sort of hard to convey over the computer, though… anyway. _I'm so happy you loved the last chapter! _When I was writing it, I was like, everyone's going to think it's _so _stupid. But you didn't, and that makes me feel warm and fuzzy inside. :) Leave me another review, okay?

**Padfootz**: I hope you like this chapter, too! And I know, it's like "Oh Poor Lily, what did she ever do to deserve this?"

**invisible2u**: I know, it's like the time when James really reveals that sweetness inside him – and Sirius, too. I love that. They're arrogant pricks the rest of the time, and then, when someone's in danger, it's like SCHWING! I'm a _superhero _now, watch me save everyone! So, uh, yeah. Schwing. One of my favorite words. Sorry. Anyway – more Snape plushies for you, 'cause you love them so much!

**Apotterlover**: Wow. I'm glad you think it was sweet – everyone's like, oh, gosh, I feel so bad for Lily. I know that if _I _were Lily, I'd want to kill James for embarrassing me, but if you look at it from an outsider's point of view… yeah. It _is _sweet.

**Celina K2**: Your favorite chapter? Your favorite _story? _Wow. Thanks so much!!! I _love _you – you're such a great reviewer! I love getting reviews like this, it's always nice to know about the people out there who DON'T think the story's crap. Anyway, as for James's notebook… it's momentarily forgotten, mostly because he has other things to worry about right now. Don't worry, it'll come back, never fear.

**WoW-Girl**: Ha, like I'll ever stop. Getting reviews is way too much fun. :P Keep reviewing me, okay?

**Oliverwoodschic**: I have to say, you are like the BIGGEST Janine/Sirius shipper I've ever met. And that's cool, because I love them. We should totally start our own club, which is like the 'Sirius and Janine forever' club. It's too bad about what happens to Sirius in OotP, though… hmm, that's a problem. I'm going to have to find a way to get around that when I start writing Harry's sixth year (which, by the way, is the story that comes after I finish the Marauders' story. :) ) Anyway, yeah. I'm waiting for your next review, because I _love _reading them!

**Alenchic**: I know, I was like, dude, I wish _I _could have been there to see that. I wouldn't stop laughing for a century. :) Thanks for the review!

**shan**: I'm glad you love the story! As for you not writing stories… that's sad. You should start; let me know if you do, because I'll _definitely _come and review your story! I hope this update came soon enough for you (I know, it took forever, but I'm trying) and I'll try and get the next one out as soon as possible (which, unfortunately, may be a while, 'cause I'm totally out of ideas.) Love talking to you too!

**moony128**: Hehe, thanks for the points. I hope your homecoming was cool too… and don't worry about the dress. Last year, I was like, the day _of _homecoming… "Oh, crap. I don't have a dress and the dance is tonight. That's a _problem._" Hope it went well for you! And there's another "at the request of moony128" up there! I'll probably stop writing that, but you should know that every time I now write the previous chapter's events at the top of a new chapter, it's 'cause _you _asked me to! Yeah, it's like "James, you're so stupid!" and he'll be like, "Blame Sirius, it was _his _idea!" Hehe. Ooh, funny idea for an upcoming chapter… hmm…

**milky way bar**: Yes! Go Archie! Power to the Archie fans! Whee!

**Harry Potters Care Bear**: Lol, cute name! Thanks for the compliments; I really appreciate them. I hope you liked this chapter!

**Jessie xxx**: Thanks for the review, and I hope you like this chapter to!

**Granger-gurl-rox**: I know, I was just going to have James sing, and then, in the middle of the night, this great idea of Sirius dressing drag and singing in a really high voice made me giggle and I was like… I _so _have to put that in! Thanks for your review, by the way!

**BeCkY6**: AND I LOVED YOUR REVIEW! Thanks for reviewing, seriously! I hope you like this chapter too!

**reckless-patience**: I know what you mean. Guys with senses of humor always make me giggle… I _love _funny guys. They make awesome friends, too, especially when you've had a crappy day and they try and cheer you up… it's so sweet. :) Anyway, I hope you like this chapter too!

**nebulia**: I hope you had fun at your homecoming, too! And the part about Death Eaters disapparating, not apparating… um… oops? Hehe. Thanks for pointing it out. If I ever go back, I'll fix that. Thanks! As for Lily destroying the memory keeper… no way! Harry needs _some stuff _to show him his mother, doesn't he? Hehe… I can't wait to see Harry's face when he and his friends suddenly stumble across this memory keeper and see James in pink robes singing and Sirius singing while wearing a _skirt and a red wig! _It'd be so funny. Must remember that. Thanks for the review!

**LilyEvans221**: Oh, don't worry about not being able to review for a while – it's cool, because you review this one! Anyway, here's this update, so I hope you like it!

**z'yiandria**: First things first – you have probably the most original name I've ever seen, and it's SO COOL! Yeah, when I first started writing the story, I couldn't find any differences between Jen and Janine, either. But they'll get _very _different as the story wears on. You'll see what I mean later (ooh, I just foreshadowed! That is _so _cool! Okay, I'm stopping this now). Yeah, I always figured – you know, they're not Harry, so Voldemort shouldn't _totally _dominate their lives, not until they're adults. He will have an annoying habit of popping up from now on, though…

**Mg-Nashisko**: I'm sorry about the wait for the update. (Hey, that rhymed!) I had serious writer's block, and so much schoolwork that the only time I have to write is on the weekends. Not to mention, writing responses to individual reviews is _very _time-consuming. But always rewarding, of course. :) Anyway, I'll update ASAP.

**pokie4389**: Thanks for your review! Leave me another?

**Cecilia Orechio**: Ooh, constructive criticism. It's always great to get some feedback on where you guys think I can improve. Okay. So on to your review and what it said: Your favorite OC is Perry? Hmm, that's original. I'm glad you like him. And yeah, we'll get to see more of him in the future, so don't worry! And I've actually been to HP Lexicon, although it's so big that I never get a chance to check everything out. Your review really helped me find some interesting facts online. So anyway. As to Lily and James being 21 when they die… yeah, I've heard that a lot. I know JKR said in some interview that Snape was 35-36 or whatever it was, but the first time I heard of that, someone said that was how old he was in the _first _book… which is why it seems as though they're a lot older in this fic. In any case, I probably won't go back and change it because I have a lot of events planned out for the rest of the story, and if I make them younger, I won't have time for everything. But you do bring up a good point about that, and if I weren't so far into the story and didn't have so much to pack in, I probably _would _change it, 'cause I'm a stickler for canon too. Every little thing that doesn't fit in bothers me (see note on Sirius's eyes above :) ) So anyway… you'll also notice that Bill and Charlie are a lot older in this fic. I did that on purpose for another fic I'm writing… oh well. Like I said, too many things to go back and change, so I'm probably not gonna. As to Scrivenshaft's been in Hogsmeade… yeah, I know. The thing is, I don't have _that _big of an imagination, so I was like, "Okay, so they're going to have two shops – one in Hogsmeade and one in Diagon Alley just so I don't have to come up with a new name." Lazy, I know. If you have a better name in mind, though, please tell me, because _I _couldn't come up with anything. I never realized that Hagrid, McGonagall, and Tom Riddle were all at Hogwarts in the 1930s… I mean, I guess the late 1930s, but whatever. Anyway, I went off the fact that Tom's sixth year beings/ends in 1942. Mrs. Garnet is two years younger than he is; Mr. Garnet, Mr. Potter, and Mrs. Potter are all a year younger, while McGonagall was X (that means I haven't figured it out yet) years older than Tom is. Anyway, Janine is one of the Garnet's youngest children, because their oldest is… 21 or 22, I can't remember _quite _how old I made him. And Mr. and Mrs. Potter… had kids late, I guess. :) Notice how I conveniently make up these things. Anyway. Don't worry about offending me because I really do appreciate your comments. And wow, this was a _long _response, so I hope you have time to read it all because I just want you to know that I _really do appreciate your review. _Seriously, I like constructive criticism because it tells me where I can improve. Please review again, and I hope this chapter was good!

**Queen of the weird**: I'm updating as fast as I can, and I'll try and update again ASAP. Thanks for your review!

**limbo-gal**: Sirius and Janine will most _definitely _get back together. As for Lily and James… yeah, maybe Lily will start learning that he's not so bad. Which, apparently, she already has started to learn. Anyway, thanks for the review!

**Wow! 34 Reviews! Thanks, Guys – Hugs and Kisses to all of you!**

Coming Up: Honestly? I have no idea. I'm having major writer's block because I honestly _don't know what to do. _So I have a challenge for all my great reviewers out there: **_Leave a review, telling me what you think I should do in the upcoming chapters! _**The sooner I get reviews with ideas, the sooner I'll update because I'll actually have something to _write! _If I see a review I really, really, _really _like and decide to use it, the chapter that the idea is used in will be dedicated to whoever came up with it! So if I don't use your idea next chapter; never fear, I may yet use it later! Anyway, thanks.

Okay, one other favor to ask: To those of you who remember the Snape-Lupin-Whomping Willow incident, you'll also remember that I had James present when Sirius told Snape to get into the Whomping Willow. I'm beginning to reconsider that. It makes James seem like a MAJOR BASTARD, and I kind of don't like that part. So here's where you reviewers come in: Tell me, in your review (along with upcoming ideas) whether you think I should change it. It doesn't have to be _how _I should change it, just whether or not I should. Thanks guys!

Okay, time to go – love you all! XOXO Peaches


	22. Knights and Burnished Sex Gods

Disclaimer: Characters and settings are property of J.K. Rowling. What you don't recognize is mine. And I _wish _I owned the Marauders (specifically Sirius and Remus) but most unfortunately, I do not.

Highlights of the Last Chapter: Lily and James share a special bonding experience in the Hospital Wing; Lily realizes that James has some sort of civility in him. The hunt for the mysterious 'Tom' is renewed, and it comes to a half-resolution – well, at least they know who he is now. Andy sulks; Remus jokes; Sirius asks, "Who's a slut?" Lily calls James a puke-face, and James has an interesting debate with himself. They nearly get caught by Madam Pince in the library in the middle of the night (they being all nine Gryffindors), and I think that's it. Oh, and Lily and James share a hot, passionate kiss, but that's secondary to the plot. :P

X-X-X-X-X

"There you are! We were wondering if you'd gotten caught by Filch or something." Sirius clapped James on the back when his mate entered the dorm, and _then _took in his friend's disheveled state. He blanched. "You didn't actually get caught, did you?" James didn't reply. "Damn it, you did. I hope you didn't tell him about the rest of us. Did Evans get caught, too?"

"James, you all right?" Remus asked, pulling his pajama top over his head. "You're awful quiet."

"Damn." They all blinked at him. "Damn, damn, _damn._"

"Er… damn what?" Peter asked uncertainly. "How many detentions did you get?"

James rounded on him. "None, you pillock!" Then he began to grin manically. "Bloody hell. I am a _sex god._"

Peter gave him a disgusted look. "You've had an encounter with Filch, and now you think you're a sex god? Ugh, Prongs, that's _disgusting _– what did you have to do to get out of detention?" His friends ignored him.

Sirius blinked at him. "You're off your rocker, mate. You're not a sex god; _I _am."

"No, _I _am. Evans just kissed me."

Sirius blinked again, and then said, "Never mind. I relinquish my title to you. You _are _a sex god. Speaking of which, did you get any?"

James gave him a slightly disgusted look. "Of _course _not. I said she _kissed _me, not _shagged _me!"

Remus was watching him beadily. James pretended not to see. Sirius shrugged. "If she didn't shag you, you're not a sex god. So I take my title back." Sirius stared at a floor-length mirror for a moment, then turned and flipped upside down, examining his backside between his legs. "Do I have an amazing arse, or what?"

There was a very awkward pause after that; James decided that hearing Remus's question would be infinitely better than answering Sirius's. "What's up, mate?"

"She kissed you? Just like that?"

"Er…" James grimaced. Now came the bad part. "No," he finally answered, truthfully. There was no point lying; Remus would know if he did.

Remus's eyebrows rose shrewdly. "So what happened, then?"

"Er…" James said again, and then hastily plunged in, saying very fast, "She promised to kiss me if I told her about the invisibility cloak."

His friends heard him anyway; Peter squeaked and Sirius fell over, no longer examining his backside's reflection. "You did _what?" _Sirius shouted.

James stuffed his hands in his pockets. "I didn't tell her," he shot back, and quailed under Remus's furious look. "Well, I didn't," he mumbled.

"James! You're an _idiot! _And you can't _not _tell her, if you made a deal, you have to hold up to it-"

"I would have," he interrupted. "But she ran away before I could."

"Blimey," said Peter in an awestruck voice. "Are you _that _bad at kissing?"

"I'm not bad, idiot, she was so startled by the amount of _passion _in it that she – Good Merlin, did I just say _passion?"_

"Yes," Sirius replied solemnly, for all that he was now grinning from his place on the floor. "It's almost like when you said 'sweet.' You can't say 'passion,' either. It's an insult to masculinity. Now I will _definitely _have to kill you."

"Shut up, Pads." James turned to speak to Remus again (who looked _somewhat _mollified), when Sirius interrupted.

"James?"

"What, Sirius?"

"I love you, man." There was a long pause after that as everyone stared at Sirius. He continued. "And because I love you, I am obligated to either bring you to your senses or put you out of your misery. And since I can't seem to bring you to your senses…" He seized a pillow and tackled James, straddling his stomach and whacking him with it. "…I'll have to put you out of your misery!"

"Now _that's _homosexual," remarked Remus, referring to the two boys' position, but a hand reached out of the brawl and pulled Remus in. "Ouch – hey! I don't swing that way, guys! I prefer _women!" _

Peter laughed, until all of his three friends rounded on him, grinning madly. He grimaced. "Oh, no, don't, please – NO!" He yelped as they pounced on him, each armed with a pillow.

X-X-X-X-X

"Lily's taking an awfully long time," Jen mused. Janine shushed her, her ear pressed to a wall.

"What _are _you doing?" Alyssa asked tartly.

"D'you hear _noises? _It's like – like someone's having a huge fistfight or something-"

"How would you know?" Marlene smirked. "The only thing on the other side of that wall is our bathroom, and nobody's in there."

Janine scowled and moved across the dorm to the door, poking her head out into the hall. "I think it's coming from the boys' dorm." She grinned wolfishly at her friends. "Want to go take a look and see if they've taken off their clothes while fighting?"

"Ugh, Janine, _no._" Marlene and Alyssa made identical faces of disgust.

"I'll go," Jen said with a smirk. "Black and Potter are _hot. _And Lupin, too. Although Pettigrew's a bit chubby, isn't he?"

"Short. You forgot short," Janine replied with a brutal grin.

"Oh, that's so mean!" Everyone stared at Alyssa, who eventually admitted, "…Although it's sort of true."

"Getting back to the topic at hand – where _is _Lily?" Marlene interrupted.

As if on cue, Lily entered the dorm, her cheeks flushed. Janine scrutinized her. "You all right, there?"

"Of course!" Lily's voice was unnaturally shrill and high; her friends jerked backwards in surprise. "Why wouldn't I be?"

"Pretending that you _don't _look as though you've run a marathon, we could focus instead on the fact that you're killing my ears when you talk that high," said Jen slowly. She frowned. "Are you sick, or something? You didn't get caught by Filch, did you?"

"No, no, no!" Lily was trying to smile and failing miserably. "Well, it's awfully late, isn't it? Best be off to bed!" She climbed into bed, positive that steam was spurting from her ears.

As she burrowed under her blankets, she distinctly heard Janine muttered, "Blimey, she's off her head."

Lily pulled the blankets above her head, still out of breath. What had _happened _in the library?

_I don't like Potter. I don't like Potter. But damn, if he isn't a good kisser…_

_Oh, God, I **kissed** him. And that was **some** kiss – God, he's going to think I like him or something…_

_That prat! He was trying to get my shirt off! Although, you know, I was sort of running my hands through his hair; that probably got him going…_

_Oh, God, oh, God. He was **such** a good kisser. How am I going to face him after this? He's going to think I'm a **total **slut or something. Oh, God…_

_Why am I so hot? I'm feeling so hot right now. I want to kick the blankets off, but I **know **that the girls are going to barrage me with a bunch of questions…'_

_Oh, my God. I can **never** tell them about this. No, I'll die before I do that._

And with _that _comforting thought, she began to drift off to sleep.

X-X-X-X-X

The next morning's breakfast was sufficiently awkward, even with Lily sleeping in. James kept glancing down the table at the girls, as if assuming that she would somehow magically appear in the space between Jen and Marlene; Sirius kept sniggering whenever he did this, and Remus rolled his eyes. Janine kept sending confused looks down the table, mouthing at intervals, "What the hell are you doing?"

Meanwhile, Lily _pretended _to sleep. _Thank God it's Saturday, _she thought. _I can sleep in._

Somewhere around ten o'clock, her dormmates hadn't returned, and it at last dawned on Lily that she'd _have _to confront them, if only to tell them her discovery. As it stood, only James knew, and he knew limited bits and pieces, as Lily hadn't exactly bothered to explain herself thoroughly.

With a long sigh, she stood up and examined herself in the mirror above Jen's vanity. She grimaced. There were deep circles under her eyes, and she was in desperate need of a shower.

She grabbed a towel and immediately disappeared into the bathroom.

Lily grimaced when the hot water nearly scalded her body. _How did last night **happen? **It shouldn't have. I can't believe I even offered to do that. It's not like me at all._

_Oh, my God, he's going to walk up to me and start acting like I'm his girlfriend or something… I've got to find Potter and tell him that last night was an accident and he owes me a look at whatever he's got in his pocket…_

_Okay, that could be taken **totally **wrong. Besides, he's never without his friends, and the last thing I need is for Sirius Black, a.k.a. Mr. Big Mouth to find out…_

_Oh, my God! His **friends!** They probably already know – the whole school is going to find out – I've got to **totally** avoid James for the rest of my l-_

"Hey, Lily, you up finally? Nice one. It's only, like, eleven o'clock." Lily stiffened beneath the steady stream of water upon hearing Janine's voice.

"So… where were you?"

"Um… tired."

"I said _where, _not _how. _Stupid. Are you almost done? Because I need to talk to you."

_Oh, God, she knows, and she's going to rag me on it. Oh, my God. I wonder if I can disappear down the drain…_

"Lily Evans, if you don't answer me, I'm either going to flush the toilet and turn the water freezing or I'm going to rip that shower curtain open and take pictures to send to James Potter."

Lily poked her head out of the shower, hair dripping. "Give me two minutes."

"Okay." Janine strode out of the bathroom, the door clicking shut behind her. _Hmm, I wonder if I can lock that door…_ A pounding on the door stopped Lily's thoughts. "You officially have one minute and fifty-six seconds, and don't even _think _of locking the door!" _Oh well…_

With a thoroughly miserable sigh, Lily turned off the water and began to towel herself off gently. "_…Or I'm going to rip that shower curtain open and take pictures to second to James Potter…" _At the thought of James, Lily flushed and hastily dressed, just in case Janine decided to barge in and do just that after all.

Exactly one minute and fifty-eight seconds later, Lily emerged from the bathroom, neatly dressed in a pair of jeans and a white jumper, her hair pulled back into a low ponytail by a white satin ribbon. Janine glowered at her from beneath a curtain of dark brown hair. "You are two seconds late."

"Oh, my apologies to her royal highness. What's the problem?" _Okay, play it cool. Pretend you don't know what she's talking about, and when she confronts you, immediately deny…_

"My boyfriend went AWOL, saying he had to meet _someone _in the library, and _I _think that it's a gir-"

"It never happened; Potter's lying!" Lily clapped a hand over her mouth at Janine's puzzled look.

"Lying about _what?"_

"That I… er… almost got him caught by Filch on purpose. He threatened to tell everyone that on the way back, but I never did that, and… er…"

"Why would he threaten that?"

"Er… never mind. You were saying?"

Janine frowned, and then glowered out the window. "Like I was _saying, _my boyfriend's gone AWOL, and I'm pretty sure he's disappeared off with Noelle Donahue again. Slut."

"Who?"

"Noelle Donahue! Aren't you _listening?"_

_No, _Lily thought ruefully. Which was true. She was far too absorbed with kicking herself for nearly spilling her secret. "Anyway, I thought you guys agreed to no commitments?"

"Yes, but that's _before _we were open about it! How out of the loop _are _you, Evans?"

Lily ignored that comment and glanced at her watch. "It's nearly eleven, you know. Don't you have Quidditch practice today?"

"Quidditch… oh, I completely forgot!" She jumped up, and was just about to bolt out the door when she turned back and asked, "Oy, you'll look for Sirius for me, won't you? I'll bet he doesn't even _come _to practice, stupid prat always forgets… Just go find him, would you? And if he's with Donahue, slap him!" She ran out, and then ran back in a second later, grabbed her broomstick, and then darted out the door, slamming it behind her.

Lily sighed. She'd rather _not _look for Sirius, but Janine would be annoyed if she didn't. _I'll just go to the library and see if he really **is** there, _she thought, with a longing sigh. _At least I won't run into Potter…_

X-X-X-X-X

"So where _is _your idiot of a best friend, anyway, Potter?" Damien demanded, watching Janine stalk out of the locker room, after huffily proclaiming that she was going to go sulk by the lake. The pair of them were the only ones left.

"Well, don't tell your sister, obviously, but he wants to get her some stupid gift to apologize for being such a prat before Valentine's. And don't ask me what it is, because he refused to tell me."

Damien paused, obviously torn between being furious at Sirius for skipping practice and being somewhat mollified that Sirius was attempting to be a good boyfriend to his younger sister. "Fine," he grunted at last. "Just tell him to do his shopping on his _own _time, hear? I'm heading up to the dorms to shower." He strode out.

James rolled his eyes and headed for the shower, swiftly stripping and stepping under the warm spray, which at once soothed his aching muscles. Belatedly, he remembered to toss his now-wet glasses out there, too, when a voice called, "Oy, James, you in here?"

"You're a lucky dog, Padfoot," James shouted through the thin curtain. "Garnet probably _won't _kill you for skipping practice because you were trying to be nice to his sister."

"You _told _him? That's it, Prongs. You're a dead man."

James laughed, and then froze. _Oh, shit. _He stuck his head out the curtain, snapping, "Don't you dare to take my clothes, Padfoo-" He groaned, loudly. What appeared to be a large black dog was standing near the doorway, clutching James's uniform in its jaws. "No. Bad, bad dog. Come back." The dog wagged its tail once and disappeared out the door. "Oh, shit," he said, this time aloud. He stepped from the shower, knowing that he was completely naked, but he needed, if nothing else, a towel to cover himself. He smirked a little. _Can't have girls fainting all over the school after seeing me, now can we? Hmm, I wonder what Ev-_

"Janine, are you in there? Listen, I couldn't find Black, but I _did _find Donahue in the library, and Black definitely wasn't in-" Lily stepped into view, and froze.

They stared at one another for several _long, _awkward moments. A hot flush rose up in Lily's cheeks as she stared.

"Er…" James tried to smirk, although he felt somewhat horrified. _I am going to **kill** Sirius for this one._ "Like what you see, Evans?"

Lily made a noise that sounded suspiciously like "Meep!" and promptly fled the locker room.

_Well. That was sufficiently awkward._

James suddenly swore. _Good **God**. Evans just saw me naked, and Sirius still has my clothes, and the only thing I can wear are my glasses and I've got to somehow find something to wear, and I'm **still** standing naked here, dripping wet, and if anybody walks in, they're going to get the shock of their life, and I think I hear someone coming now, and **God** I hope it's not McGonagall._

It wasn't. It was Sirius, clutching James's clothes, laughing his head off. "Priceless. You should have seen Evans's face when she ran out of here!"

"I hate you."

"No, you don't. She's probably so astounded by your masculinity that-"

"Excuse me, but why would she be _astounded _by it? It's not like anybody expects anything _but _that kind of masculinity from me, thank you very much!"

"Er, no offense, Prongs, but next to me, you pale in comparison."

"I do _not!"_

"Yes, you _do, _Prongs. I mean, come on. I see myself everyday, and this isn't the first time I've seen you. I win by a mile."

"That's a load of shit, Padfoot."

"I know you feel inadequate, Jamie, but I wouldn't worry. I have no plans to move onto Evans right now, so I'll leave her to your pathetic manliness – if it can be called that, which, personally, I think it can't. And, you know, it's just occurred to me that this will look _extremely _awkward if someone walks in right now, don't you think?"

There was a long silence, and then…

"But before I give you your clothes back, I want to hear it from you. Say it with me, James. 'Sirius Black is a burnished sex god, and James Potter can never measure up to him.' Say it, Prongsie."

"Shut up and give me my clothes back."

X-X-X-X-X

Lily flung herself furiously onto her bed. _Last time I ever do anything for Janine Garnet! I swear, it really is this time! I let her walk all over me, and-_

"Did you find him?"

Lily rolled over and fixed her best friend with her sourest glare. Apparently, it didn't work, because Janine was busily rooting around in Lily's dresser. Finally, Lily gave into her curiosity and demanded, "Just what _are _you looking for?"

"Those divine little raspberry-chocolate thingies. They're really good, you know."

"Aren't you even worried about your previously AWOL boyfriend? Especially after sending me out looking for him, you ought to be."

"Well, I was, but I decided not to be. I'll find out if he was with Donahue later, and if he was, I'll make him regret it."

"As it chances, he _wasn't _with her."

"Wasn't he?"

"No. He wasn't in the library. Although Donahue _was. _With her newest flavor of the week."

"So long as she wasn't making off with my boyfriend, I really don't care who she was with." Janine kicked Lily's dresser shut impatiently, saying, "Damn it, I can't find any. By the way, if he wasn't in the library, where _was _he?"

"Oh, I have no idea. Maybe he was creating a nice romantic surprise for you, and you're being entirely too suspicious about it. And you know something? I am so _sick _of hearing about your melodramatic relationship. I wish the two of you would establish some boundaries and _stick _to them."

"We have boundaries."

"Such as?"

"I'd better not catch him snogging a member of the opposite sex, unless it's me."

"_Those _are the boundaries? What are _your _boundaries?'

"I don't have any. S'far as I'm concerned, I can snog whoever I bloody want."

"That seems unfair."

"In an icky, morally unsound sort of way?"

"Precisely. Besides, why should _you _get to snog all that Hogwarts has to offer when _he _can't?"

"Well, I certainly can't deprive the boys their fun, can I? By the way, I still haven't found those raspberry-chocolate thingies."

"I'm out. I'll have Mum send some for you, if you'd like." Lily sighed and closed her eyes for a moment. "Janine, if I told you I'd done something really outrageous, would you believe me?"

Janine looked thoughtful (although she was currently rooting around in Alyssa's dresser, searching for food in there, too.) "Well, I suppose that'd depend on what it was, don't you think?"

"Something _really _outrageous."

"Like… dancing naked on the tables in the library?"

"Okay, not _that _outrageous. Just something… quasi-outrageous."

"Er…" Janine screwed up her eyes. "I don't really know, Lils. I mean, it's _you. _Outrageous for you is like… taking a cookie from the jar before dinner."

Lily glowered. "Well, thanks for absolutely _nothing._"

"Hey, you asked." Janine shoved Alyssa's dresser closed, too. "Why the hell does _no one _in this dormitory own any chocolate?"

"Probably because you ate it all."

"Don't make me sound like a pig, Lily, because I'm not. By the way, what _was _it that you figured out last night?"

"Huh?"

"Oh, you remember. You started going barmy, and then Madam Pince swooped in on and us and we all fled. So what _was _it you were shouting about? Does Jen have any?"

Lily blinked. "Wait, does Jen have any _what?"_

"Of those chocolate-raspberry thingies, of course. Honestly, Lily. Try and follow the conversation."

_I would be able to if you didn't keep changing the bloody subject, _Lily thought savagely, but she kept that thought to herself. "I figured out who Tom was," she said moodily.

Janine's head jerked around so fast that she appeared to get a crick in her neck; she rubbed it with a wince. "And?"

"Well… well, you're not going to like what I've got to say."

"Oh, bollocks, Lily, the only way I wouldn't like what you've got to say is if you say Voldemort was shagging my mum or some nonsense like that."

_He may very well have been – ew! Bad thoughts! Bad thoughts! Must not… damn it, picture something else… oh, great, now I'm picturing **Potter**. Which isn't much better. Although he is very finely – ew! EW-EW-EW!_

"…Er, Lily? You look constipated."

Lily grimaced and said. "Sit down, Janine, while I find those damn letters."

"What let-" Lily walked past her, shoving her onto a bed (Marlene's) and began to shift through her trunk, before realizing that she didn't _have _the letters; James did.

"Ask Potter to tell you. He's got all the evidence." Her voice was short.

Janine was giving her a curious look. "You've been awfully grouchy today," her friend said coolly. "What's the matter? Wake up with a rat in your knickers?"

Lily glowered darkly. "Why is it that _whenever _I want to be just a _little _selfish and have a day to myself – _without _the constant interruptions from you guys – I'm acting 'awfully grouchy,' whereas you're a _selfish brat _everyday and nobody ever bothers _you _about it!"

Janine's mouth opened several times; her brown eyes were angry. "Fine! Enjoy your day _all by yourself, _then!" She stormed out, and slammed the door behind her.

"And get your own damn chocolate!" Lily shouted after her friend, knowing that was a rather childish remark and not caring.

Lily angrily scowled down at her scuffed and used black shoes. _Damn it all. Why can't anybody ever **leave me the bloody hell alone**?_

_It's not like I'm not within my right to tell her to sod off like that. She never knows when to leave well enough alone. Besides, it's true. She's so self-absorbed all the time, and the moment any of us acts the least bit like her, we're acting 'odd' and have our 'knickers in a twist.' I mean, really. Why can't she just leave well enough alone once in a while?_

_…I hope she's not **really** mad._

Lily sighed and kicked her shoes off. "I should probably go downstairs and apologize," Lily grumbled, and then said, "I'm the only who always has to, though. Why can't _she _do it for a change?"

"You know, they say that talking to yourself is the first sign of insanity," a mirror pointed out reasonably from across the room. Lily glowered at it, thinking of kissing James last night, seeing him this afternoon, and shouting at Janine.

"Believe me, I've already gone _way _past that first sign…"

X-X-X-X-X

"Maybe it was that time of the month," Sirius offered, watching Janine finger-comb her hair in the somewhat cracked mirror between Sirius and Peter's beds. "She may have just been cranky."

Janine glowered at her boyfriend, and then looked at James, who was sitting cross-legged on his bed, bent over his Transfiguration book. "She didn't have to shout at me like that. She was acting weird, and I pointed it out. There was no reason for her to go around the bend."

"Mm-hmm," James murmured noncommittally. He looked up at Sirius. "You done this homework yet?"

Sirius shot him a strange look. "Er, _no. _It's Saturday. Why would I have done it?"

James just shook his head. "So did you come here to complain, or do you actually _want _something?" He directed his question at Janine, who grimaced.

"Oh, right. Something about what you guys discovered last night-" _That there is very obviously some sort of romantic spark between Lily and I… _"-And that you had the evidence about it." _Evidence?_

_Oh, that._

"Yeah, you're not gonna like this one." He tossed her the bundle of letters, directing her to which ones to read and explaining what Lily had discovered.

After a few long moments, Janine sank down onto Peter's bed, frowning. Sirius's mouth was faintly agape, and for once, he appeared to be speechless. He stared at her. "Did you _know?"_

"Of course not!" she snapped, and then looked at James. "Wow. This creates a few problems."

He raised an eyebrow. "Does it?"

"Well, yeah. We're going to have to confront my mum about it, aren't we?" She pulled on a strand of hair thoughtfully. "Although she'll probably be angry that we went snooping and tell _your _mum about it."

James grimaced. "Okay, we can safely scratch that idea. What about your aunt?"

"What about her?"

"She might know something. And she may not tell on us."

"Then again, she very well might."

"It's safer than going to your mum. We're going to scratch your grandmother off the list, too, because I don't think you want to ask her and I know _I _don't want to."

Janine paused thoughtfully. "I s'pose I could write and ask her to meet us, at least. I'd rather not put it in the letter; my uncle's an awful snot, sometimes, he just _has _to tell everyone everything, worse than a girl that way…"

Sirius snickered while James rummaged around in his trunk, at last pulling out some slightly wrinkled parchment and an old quill. Sirius handed Janine a bottle of ink and watched her bend over the parchment and begin to scribble quickly. He glanced at James. "You never told me all those things you lot figured out last night," he began in an injured tone, and then grinned, "Then again, I suppose you were busy telling us about your 'special moment' with-"

James shook his head frantically; Sirius hastily shut up. Janine's head popped up and she frowned at Sirius. "Why'd you stop? Finish what you were going to say."

"…Special moment with Filch," James blurted as Sirius opened his mouth.

Janine cast him a strange look, then shook her head. "Never mind. I don't want to know. Can I borrow your owl, by the way? I sent mine to my mum a little while ago, asking her to send some chocolate for me."

"Did you ask for some for me, too?" Sirius asked hopefully.

"Of course, you great prat," she retorted affectionately. She handed James the letter. "Send this off – if all goes well, she'll meet us at the next Hogsmeade trip."

"Provided there is one, after last week's fiasco," pointed out Sirius.

"Yes, provided that." Janine dusted off her jeans. "Well, I'm off. I'll see you lot later, I suppose."

"Wait – I'll go with you!" James leapt up, having just spied Lily outside on the grounds, in the courtyard. It was the perfect opportunity to catch her alone and speak to her. "I've… er… got to head to the kitchens. I'm starving."

"Good," approved Sirius, also standing up as well. "I am, too." The three walked out, James contemplating all the way how to ditch his friends without being too obvious.

X-X-X-X-X

Lily tucked a tendril of red hair behind her ear, carefully turning a page in her book, when she felt a warm breath on her cheek. Her eyebrows shot up. _Janine's come to apologize? That's a first._

She looked up to smile at her, the words, "Don't say it – I'm sorry too," on her lips, when she found herself staring into a pair of hazel eyes, set behind wire-rimmed glasses.

Lily shot up so fast that she smacked James in the nose, jolting him backwards and also sending her book flying into the snow-covered stones of the courtyard. "Potter!" she yelled, and quickly filled the air with obscenities. When at last she had exhausted her vocabulary of rude words, she demanded, "What were you _doing?"_

James, meanwhile, had landed on his backside and was now rubbing his nose indignantly, his glasses lying off to the side. "Why do you always _do _that? That's the second time you've knocked off my glasses. Where are they?"

It occurred to Lily that James was clearly as blind as a bat without his glasses – he was feeling around the ground for them, although they were less than two feet away. She took pity on him and quickly bent, picking them up and cleaning them with her jumper before handing them back. "What were you doing?" she demanded again.

"Reading over your shoulder! Is that a crime, or something?"

Lily gave him a suspicious look. "What was I reading, then?"

"Demonic Taxonomy," he answered promptly, "page 219, on the four kinds of Jeweled Imps: Sapphire, Ruby, Emerald, and… er…"

"Amethyst," Lily finished, impressed in spite of herself. "Well. I guess you _were _reading over my shoulder." He smiled triumphantly, and she added, "…I hate it when people read over my shoulder. It annoys the hell out of me." His smile dropped off his face.

"Sorry," he said hastily, "I was just curious-"

She laughed. "I was _joking. _Well, not really. I _do _hate it when people read over my shoulder. But since you didn't know that, I _won't _kill you this time around. So don't apologize."

"Can I sit, then?"

Lily's face turned solemn. "That depends. Are you going to kiss me-"

"-Excuse me, _you _kissed _me_-"

"-Or take your clothes off?"

"Too cold for that. If we go inside, though, I'll be happy to oblige you." He grinned widely.

Lily grimaced. "Very funny, Potter." She crossed her arms over her chest. "You just _can't _go for very long without either asking me out or making a crass comment, can you?"

"I didn't last night."

"We were otherwise occupied with-"

"-Snogging?"

"_Researching_." Lily pulled a face at him. "You know, I liked you last night. When you were being serious. Not treating me like-"

"-A red-headed goddess?"

"You know, if you're going to finish my sentences, you may as well try and finish them with something I'd actually _say._" Even as she said it, Lily was smiling slightly.

Which was weird. _Hold on! You've never found his antics amusing **before**, so why are they amusing **now?**_

James looked thrilled that he had actually gotten a smile out of Lily, but he quickly played it down, sweeping his hair back from his face. Lily scowled at him, and he quailed slightly. "Can't you _do _something with that?" She pointed to his hair. "Like, comb it?"

"I tried that."

"And?"

"I broke the comb." Lily laughed; James stared at her, confused. "Why are you _laughing? _I was being serious!"

"How about gel?"

"Doesn't work."

"Sleakeazy's?"

"Evans, I'm a _guy. _I can't use that… girly-stuff. Sirius would say it's an insult to masculinity, and he'd have to kill me for it."

Lily smirked. "And what would _James _say?"

James leaned forward conspiratorially, the corners of his mouth quirking upwards, and murmured, "James would say that Sleakeazy's didn't work, either." Lily laughed.

James took her laughter as an invitation to sit down. _See? I can be charming when I want to be. You just never let me be._

Lily's laughter subsided after a few moments, and she grew serious. "I'm glad you're here, because we have to talk."

"Uh-oh." James tried to grin. "Whenever a girl says that, it usually means she's breaking up with me."

"Except we were never going out in the first place," Lily pointed out, and Lily picked up her book, and then sat beside him. "That kiss… didn't happen."

James's heart sank. That wasn't what he had wanted to hear.

"Don't get me wrong, Potter." Lily smiled wryly. "It's not that I didn't enjoy it. But I don't date guys like you. You're not my type."

"So what _is _your type?"

Lily contemplated saying, 'not you,' but she figured that she owed him a little bit more than that. After all, he _had _saved her life. "Someone smart. And funny. Who makes me laugh like Sirius makes Janine laugh."

"Sirius also has a tendency to make Janine miserable, and vice versa, if you haven't noticed."

"True." Lily cocked her head. "But they enjoy being together. You can… see it. Just watching them. I want somebody who's going to make me happy like that. Who I'm going to want to spend all my time with. Who's going to stick with me, through the tough times, and the even tougher times. He has to like me for who I am. Not for my grades, or for my looks. For _me. _What's inside."

_I do all those things for you, _James protested inwardly. _Or I could, if you'd let. I'm smart! I've made you laugh! I could do it more often, if you'd just let me! I want to make you happy! I'd stick with you! And I **do **like you for you – you just don't think I do! **You've just described me!**_

Lily peered at him carefully. "Does that make sense?"

"Makes perfect sense," James finally ground out, and then added, "So have you met anybody like that?"

Lily brought her knees up to her chest, hugging them. "No, I haven't. I'm still waiting." She smiled at her feet – white sneakers with red shoelaces that clashed horribly with the sky blue jumper she was wearing. "When I was little, my dad used to read me fairy tales, about the princes who was locked in the tower, and the knight who came to rescue her." She looked up at Gryffindor tower. "I wish I had a knight. Someone who was blond, with blue eyes."

James blinked at her. "You want a guy who's blond, with blue eyes?"

"Well, that's what most of the knights looked like."

"I thought most knights were tall, dark, and handsome." James puffed out his chest proudly.

"Not in the stories my dad read me. They were blond and blue-eyed." He deflated slightly, watching the strange smile on Lily's face. "I always wished to be one of those princesses." Her smile faded, slightly. "Then again, those princesses were always blond and blue-eyed, too."

"I think you look like a princess." _Crap. Did I just say that aloud?_

Lily rolled her eyes. "And you're right back to flirting, just like you always are." She stood up. "Well, I hope Janine's over her snit, because I'm going to have to go apologize to her." She smiled at James. "Even though you _aren't _blond and blue-eyed and aren't my type at all, we can still be friends, you know. If you'd stop hitting on me, that is. It was nice talking to you." Lily waved to him and headed for the castle doors.

"She's in the kitchens with Sirius eating food!" James yelled after Lily.

"Thanks!" she called back, and disappeared inside.

James scowled at the ground. Then a grin began to form on his face. _Not your type, eh? That can easily be fixed. Now all I need to do is find Remus…_

X-X-X-X-X

A/N: Sorry for the long wait, but you guys _have _to understand – I'm uber-busy, and it's kind of a miracle that I even got this OUT. I'm sorry, but there's not a lot I can do. I. DON'T. HAVE. THAT. MUCH. TIME. TO. WRITE. And I'm constantly exhausted. I can't help it.

I had major writer's block, too, but I got a tip from someone on an AMAZING place to go for some random ideas of things to add into the story – Seventh Sanctum. That is my new cure for Writer's Block. I _love _it. In case you're wondering where the idea of 'Demonic Taxonomy' came from – there you go. Seventh Sanctum. LOVE THAT PLACE!!!

If you guys can't guess what James is going to do NEXT… well, I think it's obvious, so I'll give an extra dollie to anyone who can guess what it is. (Only one, though, because I think it's obvious).

Oh, one another thing – **This chapter is dedicated to everyone who was oh-so-helpful and left me suggestions in their reviews. I want to thank everyone who said Lily ought to think things through by herself for a while, which is why I gave her that fight with Janine. More on that later. An extra special shout-out to BeCkY6** **for her idea of the shower-scene, which I LOVED writing. Kudos!**

Okay, so, it's getting too difficult to write individual reviews to everyone. I'm not going to do it anymore because it's too time-consuming. I still love you, I just don't have time. And look on the bright side! Seeing as I have virtually no time in the next week, this chapter probably wouldn't be up for another TWO WEEKS if I had written individual responses. I'll answer questions if you have 'em, but I don't have time write thanks to ever single one of you. But I still love you! I got a grand total of **54 Reviews! OMG, I LOVE YOU GUYS! YOU ROCK MY SOX!**

Okay, so, now, Questions:

1. Okay, so why doesn't Lily realize it's an invisibility cloak, if she's so smart? Well, I figure she's a Muggleborn, and so chances are, she's never seen a REAL one, although she's probably heard of them. That, and I decided that James would stuff it in his pocket while Lily is conveniently staring after Madam Pince in disbelief as to how she missed it. Um… that's my explanation. The way I figured it, she never realized what was over her.

2. Why would Lily give up her standards and kiss James like that? Um… because it moves the plot along? No, seriously – I have no idea. I figured she was deadly curious, and remember, she never expected it to go THAT far. She expected, okay, our lips touch, then I pull back and demand to see what it was. Of course, that's not what happened…

3. Why no teasing from the others after the kiss? Um, 'cause they weren't there. I might have forgotten to put that in. I'll go and check later. They were supposed to have left by then, leaving only Lily and James behind. They were all too worried that Madam Pince would come back.

4. (Directed to Oliverwoodschic) Will there be any Harry/Hermione in my fic that is WAY later coming? Honestly – probably not. I'm a huge R/Hr shipper – sorry. I might write a side story about Harry/Hermione (after all, I started writing one about D/Hr, didn't I? And I'm not really a shipper of them) but it probably wouldn't fit into this universe. Sorry. (I might write one later, just for you, though! :) )

5. Peter showing his evilness… I'm really sorry, but that's not going to be happening for a while. I have a hazy timeline in my head, and nothing really important happens with Peter for, like, a YEAR… sorry.

6. Why did Lily and Janine have a fight in this chapter? Because it gives time for Lily to have an introverted think, and also, I figure that at some point, everyone's going to snap. Remember that I know my characters REALLY well, because I have their whole lives planned out, and you have to understand… Janine's a brat. Not even joking. She is. I love her, but she is. Lily's sweet to her friends, but sometimes, you gotta act like a bitch to another bitch to get them to back off, you know? That's why they fought. Lily's on edge, and Janine's not being particularly understanding, so I have no sympathy for her, which is kinda funny when you think about it. I don't have sympathy for my own OC's…

7. Snape? Yeah, I forgot about him. Oops. Maybe he'll be in the next chapter.

8. Remus? Um, yeah, I need to integrate him more, too. I'll work on that.

OKAY! BIG IMPORTANT NOTE! **This story is under heavy revision**! What I mean is, I'm going back, fixing grammar and stuff like that, tweaking a few things. As for the Whomping Willow scene… thanks to the reviewers who gave me their opinion. Four people said change it, two said don't, and four others said, 'it doesn't really matter' or something to that affect. Honestly? I have decided yet. I'm still working out the kinks. Even if I don't completely change it, I probably WILL tweak it a little. A lot of chapters are going to have tiny bits rewritten. Nothing major, but there are a few things I want to change. Oh, and I'm going to make Sirius's eyes gray. I prefer things to be as canon-ish as possible (for now, anyway) so I'm going to make them gray. Once I start uploading the revised chapters, anyway.

I think that's it for this update. I hope you guys like it!

XOXO Peaches


	23. Knight in Rusty Armor

Disclaimer: Characters and settings are property of J.K. Rowling. What you don't recognize is mine. And I _wish _I owned the Marauders (specifically Sirius and Remus) but most unfortunately, I do not.

Highlights of the Last Chapter: We discuss who's a bigger sex god, Sirius or James; we examine Sirius's backside, which is apparently amazing; Sirius admits he's been in love with James (not exactly, but close enough); the boys discuss their sexuality some more; Lily is a slut (or so she thinks); Sirius buys Janine a gift but we never find out if he gives it to her (he doesn't do it in this chapter, either, so I have to remember to have him give it to her at some point); Sirius runs off with James's clothes; Lily and James share an intimate moment in the shower; we again discuss the boys' masculinity, although it's this time a competition of masculinity between Sirius and James (while James is naked, no less); we discuss missing chocolate raspberry-thingies that nobody seems to have; Lily and Janine have a fight; Janine wonders if Lily goes dancing naked on the tables in the library, but Lily vehemently denies it; we discuss Tom and bad mental images; Lily knocks off James's glasses _again; _they both discuss Demonic Taxonomy; Lily finds she doesn't mind James's stupidity and crass comments as much as she used to; and they share a heartfelt conversation in which James gets a _very _disturbing idea which we are only now about to find out the results of. And strangely enough, through all this sexual innuendo, nobody _actually _has sex. Funny how those things work out, isn't it?

…Okay, so that's not _exactly _what happened, but it's close enough. And kudos to the following people for being good fortune-tellers (it appears you all possess the Inner Eye!): SillyGillie, DobbyGrl, little pink sock, limbo-gal, blue mittens, Celina K2, and Lily Evans 221! (Most of you guys got it, or were close enough! Um… you guys can have Oliver Wood dollies this time!)

Onwards with the chapter!

X-X-X-X-X

Alyssa leaned forward, propping her elbows up on the table. "Where _is _he?" she demanded impatiently, glancing at her watch for the sixth time.

"It's your fault," Janine shot back, leaning back in her chair, her feet set atop the table. "'Let's partner with James,' you said. 'He's good at Transfiguration,' you said. 'We'll get an O for certs,' you said-"

"All right, well, I'd counted on him _being _here!"

"We could have just partnered with Sirius, who is _just _as good as James at Transfiguration, but you _had _to say no… I mean, really, do either of us know the first thing about timed transfiguration? No. So how are we supposed to give a presentation on it by _tomorrow _if the third member of our group – the only one of us who knows the first thing about the subject matter – isn't _present?"_

"Well, _excuse me. _I just didn't want to see you and Sirius making goo-goo eyes at each other all class." Alyssa crossed her arms over her chest. "When I volunteered us to work with the un-present one, I hadn't realized that he wouldn't show up _at _all. D'you think Remus looks odd?"

Janine blinked at the abrupt change in subject, and glanced at their newest topic. "No," she said, at last. "A little tired – and a little exasperated, maybe, but that may be because he's working with Sirius. Sirius, who _I _should be working with right now."

"You'll survive; I doubt Remus is going to steal him from you. Don't you suppose we ought to at least start on this presentation?"

"No. Because I'm going to make James do the whole thing tonight. So there."

"Janine…"

"Well!" McGonagall stood up, her eyes sweeping imperiously across the classroom. "You _should_ have finished at least half of your presentation by now. I expect these to be memorized by tomorrow. As a result of this, you will have no work for tonight, with the exception of finishing – or starting – your presentation. Class dismissed."

Alyssa and Janine exchanged worried glances and got up to follow their friends to lunch. After relating their dilemma, Lily spent the following ten minutes chiding them. "Honestly! You could have at least _read _the chapter if you didn't want to do it this weekend. Instead, you say and griped. It's your own fault."

"Easy for you to say. You're working with Daniel Johnson, who's a _Ravenclaw. _He's smart." Janine grouchily stomped a bit ahead. Lily sighed. Neither girl had apologized (although Lily _had _meant to, she decided not to in the end), but by the morning, the fight seemed to have blown over, so long as they both avoided mentioning it.

"I'm smart too, thanks," Lily retorted, pretending to be offended. Even so, she gave off scolding Janine and Alyssa as they entered the hall. "Anyway, it's not too difficult. I took notes on the chapter, so maybe you could borrow mine?"

"Ooh, really? Thanks!" Janine fell into a seat; Lily sat across from her. "Have you done that Defense essay for tomorrow?"

"Yes; I just need to do my conclusion."

"Really? Because I only have nine inches, and we need twelve…"

"I'll let you use some of my references, but I'm not going to let you copy of mine," Lily said sternly. "Honestly, Janine, we go through this every single day. I do _not _let you copy off of my-" Janine spit pumpkin juice all over the table. Lily jerked backwards with a grimace.

"Eww," commented Alyssa, but Janine was staring at a spot beyond Lily, her eyes huge in her face. Alyssa screwed up her face. "What's the matter with you?"

"What is _that?" _

_Clunk. Clunk. Clunk._

Startled, Lily whirled and saw a suit of armor clunking towards her, dragging a very large, very heavy sword. She stared, confused. "I never realized the suits of armor _walked…_"

The knight stopped in front of Lily, cleared his throat, and sank to one rusty knee. "Fairest Lily," began an extremely familiar voice – Lily could already feel the makings of a headache coming on, and unless she was very much mistaken, Jen had whipped another Memory Keeper from her bag (_didn't that girl have anything better to with her time?)._ The knight cleared his throat, and continued. "Fairest Lily, I am your Knight in Shining Armor."

Lily stared at the person she was fairly sure was James, dumbfounded. He waited for a few seconds, and then flipped his visor up. "Are you all right?" She scowled into his very blue eyes – well, one of them was very blue; the other was a little purplish – hating the way his blond hair fell into them, in a way which made him look incredibly handsome…

…Blue eyes…?

…Blond hair…?

Oh, God.

"Er… James? Is… is that you?" Lily turned to stare at Janine, who had a grin unfurling across her face. "Er… one of your eyes is purple, and the other's blue…"

"Really?" He swore vividly. "Damn it – I _hate _Illusionary Charms! Can't even charm a damn eye!"

There was a long pause following this pronouncement, and then James yanked off the helmet, still scowling. His newly blond hair was dark and matted with sweat. Lily stared. Although she _did _like blond-haired, blue-eyed men, this was ridiculous. Yes, James looked handsome like that. But he hardly looked like James anymore, and what was the point of _that?_

Besides, he looked better with dark hair. That was her first thought.

Unfortunately, it was also the first thing she said. "You look better with dark hair," she blurted, and then covered her mouth. James stared at her, confused.

"But you said you wanted someone who was blond with blue eyes. I'm blond now, with blue eyes. And I'm a Knight, no less."

"…I don't like glasses," Lily said, snapping her fingers. "Yes, that's it! I don't like glasses. Sorry, Potter."

James smartly removed his glasses. "Well, there you are. I haven't got any glasses anymore."

"You're blind as a bat, Prongs," Remus hissed. "I agreed to help you out with this because you said you wouldn't _do anything stupid._ _That _constitutes as stupid!"

"Whereas traipsing into the hall wearing a too-large suit of armor and dragged a heavy sword doesn't constitute as stupid, of course," Janine remarked.

"Actually, I think he sailed on the stupid boat when he became blond," interjected Marlene. "Which brings up an interesting question. Why _have _you become blond?"

"Mr. Potter, what is the meaning of this?" James turned, staring at Professor McGonagall, whose mouth was twitching.

Lily, torn between feeling absolutely mortified and nonetheless amused, sat back, wondering how the _hell _James was going to get himself out of this one.

X-X-X-X-X

_Oh, great. How the hell am I going to get out of this one?_

"…Er… it was a harmless little charm, Professor… just to see if I could do it." James gave her an embarrassed grin, and then added, "A test of knowledge and an experiment to further education, Minnie."

McGonagall pursed her lips at the nickname that she'd thus far been unable to rid James (and Sirius) of. "And, no doubt, you have no idea how to reverse it."

_Well, no. I'd counted on Remus to show me how to do it._ "Er… it's the library, I'm sure. Somewhere."

"Yes. Of course. You are aware, of course, that there are exactly nine hundred, eighty-two thousand, three hundred and forty-six books in the library, aren't you?" James gulped. _That's a big number. And we used to tease Remus about having read them all._

"I'm sure it'll be in the nine hundred, eighty-two thousand, three hundred and forty-fifth book, then…" James flushed brightly.

"Naturally, Mr. Potter. I hope, for your sake and mine, that your parents recognize you when you go home for the summer holidays. I would hate to receive a letter from them detailing how a blond imposter accosted them, claiming to be their son. And in the future, please try and limit your amusing displays to a time when they will not interrupt our meal times. Or the classroom, either." She strode away.

James was _sure _she'd been about to smile at him, though. He turned back to Lily. "So? What d'you think?"

"You look like a prat. And like I told you. You do look better with darker hair, and you obviously can't see without your glasses, and… what do you mean, you _agreed to help him?" _Lily glowered at Remus, and then at James. At least, he thought she did – it was rather difficult to see without his glasses – but he imagined steam billowing from her ears, and then it seemed entirely possible that she _was _glowering at him.

"Er… you see…"

"You _told _him? That was a private conversation, Potter! I suppose you've also told him about my little trip in the locker-room and seeing you dancing around in the nude, did you?"

"Hang on, now, I wasn't _dancing. _It was an innocent mistake!" At this point, all of the Gryffindors within the vicinity of five feet were listening to the conversation very carefully.

"Wait, wait, wait." Jen's eyes were bright. "What's this about Potter dancing around in the nude? Were they selling tickets somewhere? Don't tell me I _missed _that."

"I'm not sure whether to be revolted by your actually _wanting _to see that or the fact that you _mentioned _it," Lily retorted. "And it was an accident. Although knowing Potter, he probably set that one up, too. You never learn, do you?"

Her voice seemed to have taken on an amusing tone to it. Still, James couldn't be sure – not without his glasses. He finally conceded and jammed them on this face. Yes, she definitely _was _smiling, a bit.

"_Please _don't do this again," Lily asked him sweetly, fluttering her eyelashes. Unbelievable. Was she _flirting _with him?

…No. She was glaring at him, although she still had a smile on her face. _Damn it, should have left the glasses off. _"Yes, ma'am," he replied meekly, and dropped into his seat. He cast a pleading look at Remus. "You'll help me get rid of this stuff, right?"

"Forget it. You're on your own, Prongs. Good luck with finding that nine hundred, eighty-two thousand, three hundred and forty-fifth book."

X-X-X-X-X

Severus jammed his history of magic homework into his back, scowling. Narcissa had approached him during his lunch (followed by the gaggle of girls that trailed behind her when they weren't trailing behind Bella), demanding that he help her finish her own homework before they had to hand it in. He had refused, of course, and she'd been very upset and threatened to tell Lucius.

Which was a bit of a problem, really. Lucius could be ridiculously nasty when he wanted to be.

Fortunately for him, however, it was likely that Narcissa had completely forgotten this threat, due to Potter's spectacle during lunch.

A high giggle from behind him nearly caused him to groan, but he managed to hide it, which he found to be a spectacular feat. Bella's high laughs and giggles tended to sound odd at first, but after hours of them, they got boring. He whirled, his wand immediately clenched in his fist. "Can I help you, Bellatrix?"

"Now, now, pet, there's no need to be that way," Bella said fondly, reaching out to touch his lank hair. "I only fancied a chat, that's all."

"Talk, then," ground out Severus. "And make if fast, or I'll be late for class."

"You have Charms now, don't you, pet? I'm certain Flitwick won't notice if you're the _teensiest _bit late." Bella smiled and smoothly sidled in front of him to block his path, bracing herself by leaning against a wall. "I promise, it won't take much of your time at all."

"Talk," spat Severus again.

"Now, now, there's no need for that," Bella said with a smooth smile, and then she leaned forward, arms crossed across her chest. "You see, Lucius and I had a chat."

Severus tried to sneer. "Did you, now?"

"Yes, we did. And he told me about the chat he had with you. Now, Lucius is quite convinced of your sincerity in joining the Dark Lord's ranks-"

Severus slapped a hand over her mouth, causing her dark gray eyes to flash angrily. He removed his hand, hissing, "Shut up! Do you want everyone to hear?" He removed his hand slowly.

Bellatrix continued as though he'd never interrupted her. "-But I am not so convinced, Severus. So that's what I want you to do."

Severus blinked. He rather felt as though he'd missed her whole point. "What?"

Her lips curved into a smile. "I've been bored since Rodolphus left. And Rabastan isn't nearly so interesting. So, Severus… convince me."

Severus couldn't prevent the disgust that crossed his face at that statement. He knew exactly what Bellatrix was referring to, and the thought repulsed him. It wasn't that Bellatrix was ugly, because she wasn't – Severus had never met a Black that was ugly, actually. They were all too good-looking for their own good.

Bellatrix looked furious at his unspoken refusal. She wasn't used to not getting her way – _Another characteristic of the Blacks, _thought Severus grouchily. "You think I don't see you? The way you watch… _her._"

Severus froze, his heart thudding wildly in his chest.

"She's pretty, isn't she? Even though she'd a Mudblood. I don't blame you. I see the others watching her, too. They all think she's pretty." Bellatrix leaned closer, lowering her voice until it was barely more than a whisper. "You know, Severus, the Dark Lord is rather fond of me. I'm his contact at this school. He believes when I say someone isn't trustworthy.

"It would be bad for you if he ever _happened to find out_ that you fancied a Mudblood, you know. For you _and _your family. And I hear your mother's ill again, isn't she?" Severus's fists clenched. "It would be most… unfortunate if anything were to happen to her, particularly in her delicate conditions."

Severus's dark eyes glittered angrily, but Bellatrix only smiled smugly in response. She'd already won. "You're a smart boy. I'm sure you can come up with a proper excuse for Flitwick." She smiled, holding out a hand. "Convince me."

He refused to take her hand, but rather led the way down the hall. Smirking in a rather satisfied way, Bellatrix followed him.

X-X-X-X-X

Remus sat cross-legged on the prefects' bathroom floor, a book open in his lap, trying very hard not to smirk. Sitting next to him, knees drawn up to his chest, Sirius wasn't even _trying _not to smirk, and Peter kept randomly bursting into fits of sniggers. Not that Remus was blaming them, or anything.

James was bent way over the sink, his head upside down under the water, trying rather fruitlessly to wash the blond from his hair. Cluttered around him were numerous empty bottles – shampoo from Alyssa and Marlene, who'd taken pity on him, and even from Jen and Janine, who hadn't, but from whom James had swiped shampoos anyway. He also had three empty bottles of All-Purpose Magical Mess Remover, and even a bottle of Sleakeazy's, although Remus failed to see how Sleakeazy's Solution was going to help James in any way.

"Is it coming out?" James shouted through the water.

"No," Sirius said in a would-be bored tone. "Scrub harder." So James did, digging his fingernails into his scalp.

Sirius stood up and pulled another bottle from his bag – a bottle of Firewhisky. Remus stared as Sirius went over to James and poured it onto his head. "There, that's Evans's. Maybe it'll get rid of it."

"Are you sure? Because I'm pretty sure Lily's hair smells like apples, and that definitely smells like… Fire… whisky… Sirius, you sodding prat!" James head whipped up, his sopping hair smacking Sirius straight in the face. Sirius snickered madly and back-pedaled wildly, flailing his arms in an exaggerated motion.

Remus rolled his eyes. "I'm not sure which is more pathetic," he mused aloud. "That you're actually allowing Sirius to supply you with potions for your hair or that you know what Lily's hair smells like."

"What, are you saying I won't be able to get rid of the color?" Sirius asked, grinning.

"Oh, I'm sure you'll get rid of it, all right. Eventually, anyway. What worries me is that you'll take the hair along with it." He pursed his lips. "Although maybe that's not such a bad thing… after all, it would probably help James _not _to run his fingers through his hair, and maybe Lily might like you better bald."

James bent low, swooped up Jen's bottle of shampoo, and chucked it at Remus. Remus ducked expertly and grinned at his friend. "Face it. You had that one coming."

"So what _did _possess you to turn your hair blond, anyway?" asked Peter, lying on his stomach and trying to scribble an essay in writing as large as possible, designed to take up as much space as possible.

"She told me she wanted a blond-haired, blue-eyed knight. I figured, if…"

Sirius roared with laughter. "Brilliant! Even _Petey's _not that stupid!"

"Hey!" Peter interjected, looking injured. They others ignored him, although Remus shot him a sympathetic look.

There was a knock on the door. Startled, they all looked up – Jen poked her head in. "Sorry to interrupt, but-"

"How'd you get in here?" Remus demanded suspiciously.

"Charmed one of the seventh year Ravenclaw prefects into telling me," she replied matter-of-factly. "Can you help me with my Potions essay?"

"Sirius and James are both better at Potions than I am," he replied automatically. "Hell, even Peter's better than I am. I barely scraped an A in Potions."

"Well, we can help each other," she replied congenially. "Come on."

"Why don't you ask Janine?" Peter asked in confusion. "She's one of the best in it…" Jen gave him a meaningful look. "What?" Pause. "Oh. Oh! Right. Remus, go help her," he ordered.

Remus, who was not used to getting orders from Peter (or anybody else, for that matter, seeing as he rarely listened when his other friends gave him orders) was mildly irritated, also because they were obviously all keeping him in the dark about something. "Fine. Don't tell me anything. See if I care."

"Right, we won't, then," Sirius replied cheerfully, slapping him on the back. James was grinning like an idiot, too (he appeared to have forgotten about his intent to kill his best friend moments before). "Have fun!" Giving him a none-too-gently shove out the door after Jen, he hastily slammed the door shut. "About damn time, too," he added grouchily, his grin gone. "I thought we'd _never _get rid of him. Although, admittedly, giving you all that crap was a good way to pass the time until Jen came."

Moments later, the door opened again, admitting Janine, Marlene, Alyssa, and a fiercely scowling Lily. "Well, thank you _kindly _for kidnapping me," Lily said sulkily. "Why are we here? Why are _they _here? How'd you get the password?"

"Ravenclaw prefect told Jen, who told me, but I'm not telling you which one because you'll get mad him," Marlene replied with a smirk. "And it's Remus's birthday this week, so we need your help."

Lily blinked. "It's Remus's birthday?"

"Bit slow, aren't we, Evans?" Sirius was grinning. "See, the reason we hold a party every year on February twenty-eighth is because Remus turns a year older then. That's why we have a big sign saying 'Happy Birthday Rem'-"

"Sirius, shut up," interrupted James. "How would they know that? We hold that party in our dorm every year." He grinned. "But not this year. We found a better place."

"A better place?" questioned Janine. "Where?"

"It's called the 'Come and Go' room," Sirius explained. "We charmed a house-elf into telling us."

"And I _really _don't want to know how you did that," Alyssa remarked. "Why are we here?"

"To help us plan his party, 'course." In an undertone, Sirius added, "We're going to need to add that room to the map, by the way. It currently stands as a broom closet – remember we used it to hide in?"

"Right."

"All right," Janine interrupted, thus ending their soft conversation. "So we'll need decorations-"

"Actually, we don't," James said with a grin.

Marlene cocked her head. "Well, food, at least-"

"Nope," Sirius countered, still grinning.

Lily gave them an impatient look. "Exactly what sort of party are you planning to have, then? One without food or decorations?"

"Come with us, Miss Evans, and all will be revealed," James said with a smile and in what he hoped to be a mysterious voice. Lily personally thought he looked like a prat, but she kept that to herself. He stood up and offered her his arm.

She ignored it and turned, striding out the door, calling back, "So where is this 'Come and Go' room, Black?" James's smile fell.

Janine clapped him on the shoulder. "Better luck next time, Jamie," she said with a glimmer of delight in her eyes, and then darted after her best friend, saying, "Come on, then! We haven't got all day!"

X-X-X-X-X

Marlene whistled, her face shining with delight. "Amazing! This room is – I wonder what sort of magic it took to make a place like this! So, if, say, I wanted a nice plate of freshly-baked chocolate chip cookies…" She turned, and her eyes felt on a plate of them. "Brilliant!" she cried eagerly, snatching one up and quickly stuffing it into her mouth.

Peter watched her eat them and smiled. "It's a great room, isn't it?"

She turned to him, her eyes sparkling. "It's bloody fantastic, that's what it is!" She sucked in a breath. "It's totally amazing!"

Peter smiled slightly, and turned his head. It seemed like all of the girls – even Lily – were transfixed by the room, by everything in it. He didn't blame them. When he'd first come to it, he had been too.

His eyes flew to Marlene, who was now giggling and stretching out across the millions of fluffy pillows that had suddenly materialized on the floor. Lily stood by the bookshelf, her hand drifting across each title with reverence. Alyssa was perusing the many fashion magazines that had appeared on the table next to Marlene's cookies. Janine was standing by Sirius, taking in everything at once.

Peter envied Sirius and James, he really did. James had – well, everything. The perfect family. Loads of gold. And no matter how arrogant he seemed, he was still a selfless person when it came to his friends. What he'd done for Snape proved that. He hadn't done it for Snape, and although he claimed he'd done it to earn Lily's love (which hadn't worked anyway), Peter knew the truth. He'd done it for Sirius and Remus, knowing that if Snape died, they'd never be the same again, and he couldn't bear it if they changed on him. He was just like that. People loved him. The popular, noble James Potter.

Sirius, too, was amazing. He was the handsome one, the one girls flocked to – not necessarily because of his popularity or family name or anything like that, but simply because he was so _damned good-looking. _Everyone loved him, his bright grins, his funny jokes, everything. He may not have the life that James did, but he certainly had enough traits to make up for it. Everyone _loved _him as much as they _loved _James. He was Sirius, and whenever he was mentioned, it was like an epithet came to mind. The roguishly handsome, charming Sirius Black.

Peter always felt like he faded into the background when around them. And Remus, too. While Remus wasn't outwardly handsome or charming, and he certainly wasn't rich, people flocked to him to. People always were asking Remus for help, and he freely gave it. Even when standing next to the fairly unimpressive Remus Lupin, Peter faded.

He noticed it among the girls. Janine was hugged Sirius around the neck, half in his arms, kissing him repeatedly on the cheek and announced how brilliant he was to have discovered this. James was laughing at them and casting fervent glances at Lily, as if wishing she'd be doing the same for him. Strangely enough – she caught his eye once and smiled a little admiringly (although Peter knew she'd die before admitting to that), declaring that even though he was a prat, she had to credit him with discovering this – it was ingenious.

Too bad none of them knew the truth. That the three of them and Remus had been in the kitchen when a pair of house-elves had been discussing what they deemed the 'Come and Go' Room. Remus had heard it, with his impeccable werewolf hearing, and commented on it. And _Peter _had been the one who asked. Asked the house-elves where the room was, and inquired about it. And then James and Sirius had jumped in and stolen his thunder. And of course, everyone proclaimed them brilliant – they'd call Remus amazing for having _heard _it, even though the reason for hearing it was something about him that he'd give anything to change.

But nobody would call Peter brilliant.

Peter liked his friends. They made him who he was – he knew that people only liked him and talked to him because of his friends. Otherwise they'd ignore him. Despite that, he liked his friends, and knew that they didn't just put up with him because they didn't have a choice – they actually _liked _him. It was a nice feeling, even though Peter knew he'd never measure up to his friend's brilliance. He envied them as much as he loved them. He even hoped some of their brilliance would rub off on him. But even if it did…

Still, nobody would call Peter brilliant.

Because Peter wasn't special like that. He didn't stand out, he wasn't an amazing flyer, brilliant at studies, nor did he have superhuman strength and heightened senses. All you had to do was look at Peter's Animagus form to know it – James had gotten a _stag, _one that stood tall and proudRemus was a wolf by nature, a fierce wolf.Sirius had gotten a _huge dog, _loyal just as he was. And what did Peter get?

A rat.

"Hey, Pete!" Janine had yanked one of Marlene's pillows out from under her and flung it at him. It thumped lightly into his stomach and fell to his feet. He looked down at it and then up at Janine, who had armed herself with two more pillows and was trying to avoid Marlene's attempts to grab her ankle and pull her to the ground. "Come on! Join the fight!"

Another pillow thumped into his head – Lily smirked from off to his right. _Hey, looks like Prefect Evans really **can** have some fun._ He snatched the pillow from his feet and with an almighty grin, flung it at James, hitting him squarely in the back and knocking him into Sirius. "Ha!"

X-X-X-X-X

Remus felt slight discomfited by the way Jen was staring at him with completely adoring attention. "Er, so… how many inches have you got on your essay?" asked Remus, shifting his weight awkwardly.

She smiled sweetly. "About ten now."

"Oh. I've gone eight." He glanced down at his writing, just so he could avoid looking at her face. "You know, I really suck at Potions…"

"Well, I could help you."

"I thought _I _was supposed to be helping _you? _Although I did warn you that I was awful at it…"

"Yes, you did." Remus finally chanced looking up at her again – to his relief, she was bent over her essay, scribbling away. To his shock, he found she'd already added another inch to hers. She glanced up at him, eyes bright. "Maybe I just wanted to spend time with you."

_Or you were trying to get me away from my friends so they could carry on with some sort of secret project, and you're now acting **way** to interested in me for my comfort._

"Jen, are you all right?" He finally sighed and looked straight into her eyes, determined to get an answer. "Do… er… do you…"

"Like you? Bloody hell, Lupin, has it _really _taken you that long to figure it out?" She laughed. "You're either woefully oblivious or attempting to lie yourself into thinking I _haven't _had a crush on you for the past four years."

Remus appeared disconcerted. "You've liked me since we were twelve?" he demanded, his voice strangled.

She appeared remarkably calm about the whole thing. "Possible thirteen. Can't quite remember, I'm afraid."

"But – you set me up with Alyssa! You and Janine did, I know you did! Er… didn't you?"

"Actually, it was me, Janine, Lily, and Marlene. I knew she liked you, and it was fairly obvious you thought she was pretty and all that. So we set you up."

"I think you're pretty, too!"

Jen cocked her head. "Let's say that you somehow found out Lily had a crush on James, who's liked her since fourth year. Let's also say you had a crush on her. Assuming all that, let's assume that Sirius and Peter came to you and asked you to help set them up together. In fact, let's throw Janine in, too. Would you do it, knowing you still liked her?"

"Of course," Remus replied at once. "James has liked her for ages, and if she liked him back, then of course I'd… hang on, _does _she like him back?"

"What? Hell, no! She thinks he's an arrogant, self-deluded, self-important, egotistical, irritating-"

"Right, I get it." Remus was trying to digest this flow of information. "But that's different. If I liked Lily – and I don't, but assuming I _did _have a crush on Lily – I would know that James had liked her ages before me, and that he had the right. I get that you may have wanted Alyssa to be happy, but wouldn't she want you to be happy?"

"Yes. Except that I cut to the chase faster than she did and set you pair up before she had the chance to do the same for me. That's what friends do, you know. Give stuff up for each other. She'll probably return the favor with some random guy in the future."

Remus glanced at her. "Do you still like me?"

She shrugged, looking down at her essay again. Remus stared – she'd added another three inches while they were talking. _How does she **do **that?_

"Do you?" he persisted.

"I suppose so. I mean, you're a nice bloke and all that, aren't you?" Remus stared at her; she glanced up at him. "What?"

"I just – I never… I never realized that."

"You're a bit oblivious to your own charms." She patted his cheek. "It's sort of sweet, actually." And then she leaned in and kissed him.

Remus was too surprised to do anything except let it happen. When his wits finally returned to him and he had the presence of mind to kiss her back, her mouth opened under his, and his tongue delved in – if there was one thing Alyssa had taught it, it was how to kiss – _No, don't think of her now, focus on this _– and then a voice rang out from around the corner, "Hey, Jo! Have you seen Remus?"

Both he and Jen jerked back – and not a moment too soon, because Alexia Walsh strode around the corner, her brown curls bounced around her face. She didn't seem to notice that Jen and Remus were sitting entirely too close together, or that both of their faces were flushed, and that Remus was deliberately avoiding her eyes while Jen was looking the slightest bit irritated. Her features were quickly replaced by indifference, and the blush disappeared from her face. She stood up and straightened her blouse (although it didn't need straightening) and quickly gathered her things, shoving them into her bag and shouldering it. "Thanks for your help, Remus. I'll let you hang out with your girlfriend now."

She strode past Alexia, who waved to her. She curtly nodded back. Alexia didn't seem to notice it, but rather vacated her empty seat, crossing her legs. "I never see you anymore!" she announced cheerfully to Remus. Then she sobered. "Granted, since the Hogsmeade incident…"

"Yeah," Remus mumbled absently, tearing his mind away from the searing kiss he'd just had.

"Are you all right?" she asked, concerned. "You look flushed. Do you want to go to the Hospital Wing?"

"No," he finally said with an effort, and wrenched a smile onto his face. "So, did you want to talk to me about something?"

X-X-X-X-X

When Lily eventually returned to the dormitory by herself (having successfully shaken off Janine and Sirius, who somehow got it into their heads that it might be a good idea to have a mock Quidditch match with James and Marlene, who didn't know the first thing about Quidditch, and having been ditched by Alyssa, who spotted Davy Gudgeon and immediately abandoned her in favor of him), she found Jen lying on her bed, facedown.

_Oh, goody. Another bitch-fest. Fun stuff._

"You all right?"

"Er… I do feel a bit like a sleaze and an idiot, but other than that, yeah, I'm fine." Jen rolled over and cushioned her head with her hands, staring up at the top of her four-poster.

"Ah. So why are you a sleaze, and why are you an idiot?"

"For the same reason. I kissed Remus. I'm an idiot for that. And I'm an idiot for kissing him while knowing full well that he has a girlfriend. Although it's not my fault. He kissed me back."

Lily grinned devilishly. "Was it good?"

"Lily Evans!" Jen looked horrified, and then she smiled. "Yeah, it was good. Bloody amazing. He knows what he's doing."

"Hmm." Lily cocked her head. "He sure didn't back in the fourth year."

Jen bolted upright. "What? How would you know that?"

"It was an experiment. A failed one, let's say. And it was before Remus and Lys started dating, so I have no reason to feel guilty about it. And you are not to tell anybody about that, because I was planning to take it to the grave, but then I messed that plan up by letting it slip. Damn it all."

"I won't tell."

"You'd better not." Lily flopped on her bed. "You know, our lives are filled with too much drama."

Jen snorted. "We're teenagers. What do you expect?" Lily reached to her bedside table and picked up her book: _The Complete Works of Shakespeare. _Aimlessly flicking through it for a new one to read, she at last gave up and settled on _Romeo and Juliet, _one of her old favorites.

" 'But soft, what light through yonder window breaks? / It is the East, and Juliet is the sun. / Arise, fair sun, and kill the envious moon, / Who is already sick and pale with grief / That thou, her maid, art far more fair than she.' "

"What shit is that?" Jen demanded irritably.

"It's not shit, it's Shakespeare. I swear, wizards are utterly uncultured."

"That is not remotely true. I'll have you know we're all cultured."

"How can you not know who Shakespeare is?" retorted Lily.

"Who?" Lily and Jen glanced up as Marlene and Janine trooped it.

Marlene rolled her eyes. "Honestly, Janine. _Shakespeare. William Shakespeare. _You must know who he is."

"Is he a wizard?"

"Not that I'm aware of."

"Then why would I know him?"

Marlene and Lily exchanged looks. "Uncultured," Lily said mournfully.

"Don't I know it."

"Hey! We're not uncultured! Just because we don't read some Muggle trash-" Janine began indignantly, but Lily leapt off her bed and began pulling books at random off of one of the bookcases.

"Hello! _Trash? _These are all yours – I mean, really! _The Passion of Beauty? 'Featuring the dashingly handsome Cyrus Rutherford, everyone's favorite magical hero, in his newest adventure, full of dark wizards and beautiful women!' _That'strash!"

"It is not!" Janine snatched it from her hands. "It's a perfectly fine book! I mean, admittedly, _The Rose of Aldoran _is much better, but still-"

"In the Muggle world," replied Lily very slowly, "we call those 'trashy romance novels.' Shakespeare is not remotely trashy. Cyrus Rutherford is."

"He is _not!" _Janine hugged the books to her chest. "Oh, what do you know, anyway?" She placed the book back onto its shelf.

"She's right, you know," remarked Jen. "I mean, Lily, have you even _read _those? Every teenage witch does."

"I _don't,_" replied Lily sniffily. "And I'll bet Marly hasn't, either." Marlene shifted awkwardly, a bit pink. "Marly! You haven't, have you?"

"Only one. _The Secret of the Fwooper's Song. _And I started reading _The Wings of Thestrals-_"

"Ooh!" squealed Janine, hopping on her bed now. "Did you get to the part where he's having dinner with Amaris and her father?"

"Oh, yes!" Marlene grinned, eyes sparkling. "And her father says, 'Well young man-' "

" '-What are your intentions concerning my daughter?' " continued Janine, eyes shining. And he says, " 'Well, sir-' "

" '-I plan to ravish her thoroughly the moment your back is turned!' " finished Jen, grinning madly.

"Yes!" squealed Marlene eagerly. "I nearly _died! _I mean, can you see what would happen if Fabian said that to _my _father?"

"Or Sirius to mine!" added Janine, giggling. "Oh, God, his head would be speared on a pole outside our manor for the rest of eternity!" The pair of them, followed by Jen, collapsed into giggles. Lily rolled her eyes.

"You're unbelievable, all of you. Really, I have no idea what to say to you, no idea at all. But I am sad to admit you are my friends." She buried her nose in her Shakespeare.

"Tell you what, Lily. I'll make a deal with you. You read Cyrus Rutherford's books – at least _The Wings of Thestrals _or _The Rose of Aldoran _- and I'll read Shakespeare."

Lily gave her friend an amused look. "Will you really?"

"Swear on my honor. You can even quiz me on it when I'm finished."

"All right then," she said, snatching _The Wings of Thestrals _from Janine's hands and shoving _The Complete Works of Shakespeare _into her hands. "Hurry up with it, though, will you?"

Janine giggled. "We'll have you converted to our way of thinking by the end of the week."

X-X-X-X-X

A/N: So, we get a nice look into Peter's mind, and also a glimpse of Bella's semi-insanity and cruelty. I'll leave it up to you guys to imagine what they did. We're going to assume it didn't go beyond heavy snogging – no worries, Snape's in no danger of having a major relationship with Bellatrix, because we're saving her for her darling Rodolphus, whom we've actually never met. About Peter – I want to make it clear that he's _not _evil now. He's a good guy. And I don't blame him being envious of his friends. I have friends like that, and I envy them all the time. It's a fact of life.

So. **_BIG IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT:_**_ **Like I said before, this story is under heavy revision. Grammar editing and stuff like that. First off – I'm changing the Whomping Willow scene. I've decided it. Secondly, I'm making Sirius's eyes gray. I'm also going to change Janine's eye color because it's brown and I'd really rather it be something more interesting. Probably blue, or maybe a really DARK green, or a really light one – certainly not emerald like Lily's. If you have any interesting eye colors that aren't WAY STRANGE, tell me in my review and I'll consider it. I'm also changing their ages a little, so a few things will be a teensy bit skewed. Don't worry about it too much; it won't change the basic story. I had originally planned for Harry to be born when they were 24 (only because I hate killing them off so early in their lives, and I like have as much L/J action as I can) but I'm making it early now. Anyway, hopefully, by the time the next chapter is up, things will be fixed.**_

So again. I hope you guys read that. Anyway, I have three exams left to take, and then I'm on break. So, provided that I don't have very bad writer's block, I'll update as much as I can during that time, also provided that I get enough reviews to give me incentive to write. Also, I updated _What It Takes, _my D/Hr story, so if you haven't checked it out, please do so and leave a review for me!

Oh yeah – so I know some people were wondering why Lily didn't know about the Invisibility Cloak. I don't know, it just didn't seem like the sort of thing that you'd randomly find in a book, and if she were a Muggleborn, well, then she wouldn't know about it, would she? And assuming that Janine, Jen, and Alyssa do know about it – either because they grew up with James or are purebloods – well, Lily never bothered to ask them. So anyway.

As for Jen and Remus… well, it's like they always say (and I know I've mentioned this more than once)… one step forwards, two steps backwards. It's like a rule of life. In fact, I can apply that to my life most days. (Sad, isn't it?)

Why did I include trashy romance novels in this chapter? Hell if I know. I was reading some of them this weekend (yeah, I know, it's kinda sad) and they're fun to read. Especially when some of the dialogue is funny. That makes me giggle. If you're a fan of romance novels – go read the ones by Julie Garwood. Any of the ones about the Highlanders and the English women crack me up.

So, the next chapter: I don't really know, to be honest. Um, Janine asks questions about Shakespeare, Lily spends lots of time reading books with ridiculously masculine men and unbelievably feminine women on the cover (much to everyone's surprise, it's like what the hell is she doing reading stuff like _that?) _We hear from Janine's aunt, and Sirius finally gives Janine that gift. February ends with Remus's birthday (yay!) I actually have no idea when his birthday is… so I made one up. Actually, I did that for most of the characters. The next few months are heavy with people's birthday, so be on the lookout for 'em!

Hmm… I'm thinking of writing this story – or at least the Marauder era in general – from the Slytherin standpoint. What do you guys think?

Anyway, wish me luck on my Latin exam because that's probably the hardest out of the three I have left.

XOXO Peaches


	24. Remus's Birthday

Disclaimer: Characters and settings are property of J.K. Rowling. What you don't recognize is mine. And I _wish _I owned the Marauders (specifically Sirius and Remus) but most unfortunately, I do not.

Highlights of the Last Chapter: Hell, it's been so long since I updated that I can't remember. Go reread it and YOU can tell ME.

X-X-X-X-X

The rest of the week until Remus's birthday passed in relative swiftness from there. It became customary to see both Janine and Lily firmly engrossed in books – although, admittedly, Janine's was a deep blue book embossed with golden writing, and Lily's book cover held a picture of a winking, ridiculously muscled man with tousled blond hair, no shirt, and artfully ripped trousers.

No one knew quite what to make of it.

The week was busy, however, and people quickly forgot about two girls uncharacteristically reading books that didn't seem to fit their natures at all. Dumbledore announced that the funerals of the four students would be held, one after the other, on Wednesday, instead of classes – two would be private affairs, whereas the other two would be open to all students. The girls attended, as did Remus, but the rest of the boys did not. Nevertheless, the Marauders were suspiciously quiet in the ensuing days.

Until Friday evening, at any rate.

The first thing people noticed was that Janine was waltzing around, showing off a flashy bracelet with a design X's and O's in gold, set with diamonds. When questioned, she merely smiled. Sirius was seen being questioned fiercely by his friends, to which he only mumbled responses. It let everyone in little doubt as to where the bracelet had come from.

During Charms, Janine also confided that she'd gotten a letter from her aunt the night before. The others crowded around as she related the details – "She says that she'll be happy to meet us in Hogsmeade on the next trip. I haven't told her why, though. We shouldn't all go meet her, though – she's sort of… er… anti-male. Plays for the Holyhead Harpies and all that. I reckon it's better if just us girls go." The others had readily agreed to that.

Most people had long since left the Charms classroom, with the exception of Lily, who had stayed behind to help Professor Flitwick straightened the room (as it was regularly trashed by students having a good deal of fun in his class). "Thank you, Miss Evans, thank you," Flitwick said, clapping his wrinkled hands together. "If only all students were as helpful as you are-"

"Of course, Professor," interrupted Lily gently, and smiled. She had to get going, they were going to go ahead and require the directions in the Come and Go Room tonight, and if she were late, the others would kill her-

"Yes, well, off you trot, then!"

Lily disappeared from the class and halfway down the hall, she swore. "Oh, bugger it. I've forgotten his present."

"Did I hear something about presents?" Lily whirled, and her eyes narrowed on James, who was holding a bundle of letters in his hand. "Invitations," he explained. "There are a few people in other houses that we thought might like to come. It won't be a huge party, but we don't want to wander about telling each person individually, so I got delegated to send them off."

"Great," Lily replied, and then sighed. "Oh, bugger, bugger, bugger."

"Er… bugger what?"

"I've forgotten to get Remus a present. And now I've got to find some way – hmm, maybe I can _require _one from the Come and Go Room-"

"Nah, we've tried that. Sirius _required _twenty galleons, and then when he tried walking out with them, they vanished. On the other hand, we were doing our homework in there once, and Peter need a book, and he walked out with it and it didn't disappear, so he ran and put it back-"

"I think you can only take things out of the room if you have an intention of returning them, then." Lily shouldered her bag. "Well, scrap that idea."

"Well – er, I have an idea, if you're interested…"

Lily fixed him with a bright green eye. "What idea would that be?"

"Well – erm, there's a few passages out of the castle…" Lily's mouth opened slightly, and so he quickly rushed to get the rest of his explanation out. "So I thought, you know, I could maybe take you out to Hogsmeade – not to get into your pants, or anything, but to – bollocks, why do I get the idea we've had a conversation just like this before?"

"We have. Or something like it. In the Hospital Wing. And anyway, Potter, we'd get killed if we tried to head out after hours, imagine if McGonagall caught us, or worse, _Dumbledore…_"

"Then," he began craftily, reaching into his own bag slowly, "we just won't get caught."

"Ridiculous, someone's bound to notice-"

"Actually, the townsfolk don't care much, because we bring extra business. And anyway, if you change out of your uniform, you're less conspicuous – besides, I reckon as long as we skirt any staff members, we should be fine-"

"All right, so, assuming I _did _want to get into Hogsmeade – just to get his present, mind you – I'd owe you, then, wouldn't I? And I will _not _give you a date," she added quickly, when he opened his mouth.

"That's not what I was going to say," he lied. "Well, erm – how about, the next time you catch us doing something, so long as nobody's in sight – you let us off? Yeah, how's that?" It didn't seem like a particularly good trade-off in James's opinion, but seeing as he'd already said it, he didn't have much choice now.

"All right," Lily began woodenly. "So where is this passage, then?"

"I'll show you, but, er – d'you want to get changed first?"

"What? Oh. Right. Yes, well – I'll meet you… er, where shall I meet you?"

"You know the mirror on the fourth floor?" Lily nodded, still giving him suspicious glances. "Right, well – meet me there. In about twenty minutes, all right?"

"Don't you need to change?"

"Don't worry about." James grinned. "I've always got clothes stashed away for a moment like this."

"Fine. See you then." She began to go away, hefting her bag higher up her shoulder, before turning and adding, "Oh, and Potter? This – this isn't a date. Nothing remotely like it. Just a pair of students helping each other out. Not a date. All right?"

"Oh." James nodded, his heart sinking inwardly. _Bloody hell, I'm never going to get a date from her at this rate. _"Yeah, all right." She nodded and disappeared around the corner.

James sighed and glanced at his bag, seeing the Marauder's Map safely nestled inside, glad he'd brought it along. Pulling it out, he hissed, "I solemnly swear I'm up to no good!" It opened up, and James inspected it. Nobody was near the fourth floor. Wiping the map clean, he stowed it away and headed for the fourth floor – there was always a bag full of clothes behind that mirror, just in case.

When Lily came there, dressed in jeans and a black sweater to ward off a chill, the mirror opened, revealing a madly grinning and vaguely filthy James. "Quick! Before anybody see us." He whisked her inside, and shut the mirror. Lily blinked around the filthy passage.

"How _did _you manage to discover this place?"

"You'd be surprised what Sirius discovers through trial and error," James said, grinning cheekily. An idea occurred to him, and he quickly held out his hand. "Here – it gets dark, and I'd hate for you to get lost."

"I don't think so," Lily replied woodenly, although a tiny smile was on her face. "I'm not falling for that." James's face fell, and she laughed, patting his shoulder. "Nice try, though. Come on, then – we'll need to get back before dinner."

"We could just have dinner in Hogsmeade," James began, but she'd already started off down the passage, leaving him no choice but to follow.

Once they reached Hogsmeade (by climbing into the abandoned house at the end of the street – for that was where the passage led to – and then creeping out the back door and walking down the street as though they'd always been there), Lily began peruse the windows, pulling her sweater tighter around her to keep warm.

James was looking towards the Post Office every few moments as Lily's breath misted the window of Scrivenshaft's. "He's got plenty of quills," James blurted before thinking. Lily straightened up and glanced at him. "Just thought you might like to know," he added, his cheeks red.

"Oh. Well, thanks, I suppose." She moved on, peering into windows as before.

"You could try Zonko's," James suggested first, then thinking that Zonko's would be a more appropriate place for Sirius or himself. "Or Honeydukes – Remus likes chocolate."

"No, everyone will get him candy if they don't know what else to get," Lily said, shaking her head. Her eyes lit on Gladrags Wizardwear – James nearly groaned. Whenever a girl got that look in her eyes, it suggested he was in for a long evening of trying on clothes and questions like, "Does this make me look fat?" On the other hand, Lily was no ordinary girl, and she was not looking for herself, so whether the pink taffeta gown in the window made her look fat or not was irrelevant. (Besides, it was a hideous dress and she would look absolutely horrid in it, James privately thought – it wasn't her color at all).

"Let's go there!" Lily raced ahead, her red hair flying out behind her. James sighed, and followed her inside.

To James's surprise, the next hour they spent in the store was actually quite enjoyable. Or, at least, it was not so painful as shopping with his mother, Janine's mother, and Janine herself – after all, Mrs. Potter and Mrs. Garnet had the most annoying tendency to coo over every one of Janine's selections. And, of course, they all insisted on asking James's opinion, although he had a feeling that Janine asked purely to see the look of pain on his face, if her twinkling eyes were anything to judge by.

First she picked out a sweater – a bright red one, one that James was nearly _certain _Remus would never so much as go near – and then Lily held up the most ludicrous socks she could pick out, and then giggled at their maddening antics, before proceeding to buy them. "They'll keep his feet warm," she explained. "Besides. Did you ever notice that all his socks have holes in them?"

James blinked. "No, I've never noticed that. And he's a wizard, not a bloody house elf. You don't need to get him _clothes._"

Lily scowled. "_House elves. _Honestly. More like slaves, if you ask me."

"Lily-"

"Thank you," Lily said to the clerk, before tucking the wrapped box of socks in with her other purchases – she _had _bought a few things for herself. "You know, I really could do with a bit of chocolate from Honeydukes. And since we're here…"

"Say no more, fair damsel." James opened the door and bowed to her. Lily rolled her eyes but thanked him nonetheless, before quickly hurrying on to Honeydukes. The sun was already beginning to set.

When Lily had finished in Honeydukes (a good hour or two later) it was very dark, and James was mournfully thinking of dinner in the Great Hall. "Er… are we done yet?" he asked.

"Yes, I suppose so," she said at last, looking at her packages. "What time is it?"

"Just past seven."

"_Seven?" _Lily grimaced. "Oh, bloody hell. We've missed dinner."

"Yes," said James, with a rather woebegone expression. "Yes, I know." Then his eyes lit up. "We could to the Three Broomsticks and get Butterbeers and dinner!"

Lily was giving him a suspicious look.

"Not as a date, or anything," he added hastily. "And I need to stop by the post office and send these off."

She sighed. "Fine, let's do that first. And if nothing else, we can get some Butterbeers from Madam Rosmerta."

After James had carefully selected some none-too-conspicuous owls and sent them off, he and Lily wandered into the Three Broomsticks. To Lily's surprise, the very pretty bartender greeted them herself, a devilish twinkle in her eyes. "Bringing another lady friend, James?"

Lily scowled at James, who had his hands stuffed into his pockets, a ruddy blush across his cheeks. "I'm not a – er, a lady friend of his," she explained shortly. "I'm just a…" She searched for a word. "We ran into each other here," she finally finished. "We're not dating or anything."

Madam Rosmerta nodded, although her eyes were still twinkling and she seemed to be giving them both a knowing smile. Lily suddenly thought back to her first year, of a pretty, flirtatious, curvaceous seventh year, with masses of curly blond hair and sparkling hazel eyes. Even five years hadn't changed her much at all. Lily found herself smiling back.

"So you're here for a bite to eat, are you, then? Well, I don't know – students out of school and all that, I ought to tell the Headmaster…" She smirked when James gave her a pained expression, and then laughed. "Oh, James Potter, I don't know _what _to do with you! Come on, then – a booth for you and your non-lady friend. What's your name, by the way?" Rosmerta smiled at Lily.

Lily smiled back again. "Lily Evans."

"Lily Evans! Fancy that. I remember you as a first year. You were adorable. A Gryffindor, right?" She nodded. "I was a Ravenclaw myself," she mused, tapping her mouth with a finger. "Well, come on then – let's get you two fed so you can sneak back to school before anybody realizes you're missing!"

"Er… not that I'm complaining, or anything, but shouldn't you be sending students back if they're out when they're not supposed to be?"

"Well, yes, I should – especially in such times – but it is more business, and besides, none of the townsfolk ever send them back. Besides," she added, showing them to a booth, "I used to sneak out myself. Wouldn't be fair to punish others for something I never got punished for, would it?" She laughed again, and pushed Lily and James into a seat. "The usual, I suppose," she shot in James's direction.

"That'd be great, yeah." Rosmerta sauntered away, and James caught Lily's slightly suspicious look. "What?"

"What is 'the usual' supposed to mean?"

"Food that is very resemblant of Hogwarts's," he explained promptly.

Lily rolled her eyes. "Oh, for heaven's sake. Resemblant isn't a word."

"Is so."

"Is _not._ Go look it up in a dictionary. It doesn't exist."

"Yes it _does!"_

"No it _doesn't!"_

"What doesn't?" Madam Rosmerta set a tray on the table – laden with food that was like Hogwarts, and two steaming mugs of Butterbeer.

"Resemblant. It isn't a word."

She paused, looking thoughtful. "No, I don't think it is."

"Ha!"

"Sirius told me it's a word," mumbled James.

"And you _believed _him?" Lily demanded incredulously in smile. Madam Rosmerta just shook her head in amusement and sauntered away, winking at James as he shouted after her, "Thanks Rosie!" He eagerly dug into the food, whereas Lily ate in a more detached manner.

They didn't talk much throughout the meal – but when it was finished, James offered her a wide grin. "See? We had a pleasant dinner together. Do you honestly believe dating me could be _all _that bad after this?"

"Yes." His grin vanished. "Honestly, Potter. We walked in, spoke to Madam Rosmerta – and cleared up that I was _not _a lady friend or even a remote friend of yours – and then argued whether or not resemblant was a word – which it is not, by the way. And then we ate. Without talking. That hardly qualifies as a date."

"We could try it out to see how bad it would be."

"Or we could just accept that you and I as a couple will happen when pigs fly," she replied in a tone that brooked no room for argument. She sighed. "Give up, James. A date requires us to have a conversation – a pleasant one, not a formal and polite one, but for us to _really _talk. That is not something I can do with you. It isn't even worth trying."

He gave her a woebegone look. "You're really set in thinking that I'm prat, aren't you?"

"I do not _think _you are a prat, Potter. I know it. Are you going to pay Madam Rosmerta, or am I going to have to?"

He shrugged and stood up, offering her a hand despite her firm refusal that they'd ever be a couple. "She'll put it on my tab."

"It does _not _surprise me that you have a tab here," Lily remarked, ignoring the hand and picking up her sweater. "Let's get back to the castle, Potter. Everyone will be wondering where we are." He gave her a sad smile. "Don't look so miserable," she said encouragingly. "I've gotten to know you better in the last few weeks than I ever have. If you'd just stop flirting and pressing this dating-thing, we could even be friends. Until then…" she shrugged. "We remain as we are."

"Oh."

"So show me the way back to the castle," she ordered, and he did.

Lily had known that her disappearance would probably be speculated upon – she could probably convinced one of her friends to make up a convincing alibi for her.

How very wrong she was.

"Hello," Janine said in her coyest voice, one which Lily was most assuredly not fond of. "Funny. Where we you at dinner?"

"Out," she replied without a hesitation. "And what's funny?"

"Nothing," Alyssa said in a singsong voice, smirking. "Just that you and James walked into the common room at the same time."

"And you were both missing at dinner. For that matter, you disappeared right after classes. At the same time," added Marlene.

"In fact, you were both missing our little planning part in the Come and Go room," finished Jen. "Which is decidedly odd, because you, Lily Evans, do not miss anything, not for anything or anyone. Unless, as is now demonstrated by your skiving off, that person is James Potter."

"You're all mental," replied Lily coolly. "If you really _must _know, I had to go to Hogsmeade. To get a birthday present for Remus, seeing as, well, you know, his birthday is tomorrow. Innocent shopping excursion."

"It would be," replied Janine.

"Except that it's not like you to leave school without permission, and you most certainly didn't have permission," added Jen.

"Which means that you went without permission."

"Which means you must have snuck out."

"And we all know that James knows more secret passages out of the school than anyone," Alyssa murmured. "And seeing as he was gone…"

"We must infer that you have given into his seeming charm and wit, and are now dating him," explained Janine.

"So we've told everyone that you are, you know. Dating him, that is," finished Jen with a triumphant smile. "And that you've been visiting Hogsmeade on the sly and returning late at night."

"And that we've got pictures of you two snogging in the broom closet, and we'll sell them to anyone who doesn't believe it."

Lily's mouth had opened from the moment Jen had last spoken. Janine and Jen seemed to be the worst of the lot, although Marlene and Alyssa were both grinning widely. Lily smirked when Janine said they'd got pictures. "Except I have most definitely _not _been snogging Potter in broom closets, so you could not have any pictures."

"Except that since we've told people that we _have _got pictures, they all believe it now. So we don't have to show any would-be doubters, because we've staved them off." Lily's smirk vanished. Her dormmates and friends (soon to be ex-friends, if her expression was anything to judge by) were all grinning like madwomen.

"I hate you all," Lily said flatly, dropping her bag of purchases, seizing a nearby pillow, and flinging it as hard as she could at Alyssa, who ducked and allowed it to hit Marlene. Jen doubled over with laughter. "Every – last – one – of you!" she added, seizing more pillows from nearby beds and throwing them.

When Sirius later left his dorm for a midnight snack, followed by Peter, he noted the suspicious feathers that seemed to be trailing from the girls' dorm. He glanced at Peter, who shrugged cluelessly. Then he himself shrugged, and they headed for the kitchens. They'd find out what was going on later.

X-X-X-X-X

Saturday evening, Remus found the common room suspiciously empty, with the exception of Janine, who sat curled up in a squishy armchair, her book open in her lap. "Where is everyone? And what have you been reading for the last week, anyway?" Remus sat in front of her and craned his neck, trying to see her book.

Janine glanced up, and began to speak in an eloquent voice that didn't quite fit her. "I had it of him: pardon me, Bassanio; / For, by this ring the doctor lay with me."

Remus cocked his head. "_The Merchant of Venice, _Act V. Right?"

Janine looked impressed. "How do you _remember _that?"

"Read it loads of times. Since when do you read Shakespeare, anyway?"

"Since Lily and I made a deal – I read Shakespeare, she reads Cyrus Rutherford."

"Cyrus Rutherford? You mean those trashy romance novels about the fellow who goes around saving women and then ravishing them?" Remus looked perturbed. "Lily never struck me as that sort of girl."

"You never struck me as that sort of boy, but _you _know who Cyrus Rutherford is. If I said that to Sirius, he'd say, 'Cyrus _who?'"_

"Yes, he probably would. And I found the book in Flourish Blotts while looking for something new to read at the start of the year. Absolute rubbish, by the way."

"It is _not!" _Her eyes gleamed dangerously. "Wait here for me, would you? I have to run up and get something and put _this _away." Remus blinked as she was gone in a flash. Within two minutes, she'd returned, flushed and clutching her school bag. Remus looked at it suspiciously.

"What's that for?"

"Need to return a few books to the library," she replied smoothly, patting it to make sure it was closed. Remus smirked.

"You mean you've actually _been _to the library? You actually _know _where it is?"

"Oh, you're so witty. Look at me, I'm in hysterics because of your wit. Oh, wait, no I'm _not._" Janine made a face, and then added loftily, "And I'll have you know that it's an _excellent _place for-"

"-Studying?"

"-_Snogging._" Janine smirked. "Well, come on then."

"Come on where? I never said I was going with you."

"Well, you are now."

"But where is everyone-" Janine grabbed hold of his arm and towed him out the door.

Remus allowed himself to be dragged along for ten minutes, before saying at last, "Er… you do know this isn't the way to the library, right?"

"I'm taking the scenic route," she replied airily, still with a vice-like grip on Remus's wrist. He looked up curiously as they passed a hideous painting. Scenic. Right. She finally stopped before a tapestry of Barnabas the Barmy – walked past it three times – and then a door appeared. Remus blinked.

"Hey! This is the Come and Go room! How did _you _know about it?"

"I found it while hiding from Lily when she was in one of her moods," replied Janine, in the same airy tone. "And I left something in here the last time I went by, so…"

She pushed the door open – Remus started. The entire room was dark, save for Janine's now-lit wand. He looked around. "What the hell is-"

"SURPRISE!"

Remus fell backwards, jerking his wrist from Janine's grip, as lights flooded the room and several people leapt out at Remus – notably James, Sirius, and Peter. He whirled on Janine. "You said you'd left something in here!"

"Well, I did. I'd left a party. Aren't you glad I brought you along?"

"Moony, you great prat," Sirius exclaimed, thumping him on the shoulder. "It's your bloody _birthday!"_

"I – oh. Yeah. I… I forgot." He flushed. "Oops?"

"Oops, he says." James was grinning. "How d'you manage to forget your birthday? Pass up an opportunity for extra presents?"

Remus smiled. "Birthdays aren't all about presents, James."

" 'Course they are," retorted Peter. "Speaking of which – what d'you want first? Presents or cake?"

Remus shuddered when he saw Jen and Marlene step forward, bearing a large, chocolate-iced cake. It had red and gold candles, and was slightly lopsided. He got the impression that his friends had made it themselves, rather than ask the house-elves for help, and was touched. "Cake. Definitely cake."

"Good!" Sirius jumped forward with a knife – the girls squeaked and backed away. Fortunately, Lily was still the smartest of them all and managed to levitate it just before it hit the ground. Janine smirked.

"We made it. Except for Lily and James, that is. They were – ahem – off on their little _date._" Lily gave her friend a look that would have sent Remus scurrying in the opposite direction, but Janine smiled sweetly. A halo popped up over her head – Remus turned his head and saw Sirius pointing his wand at her. He snorted and snatched the knife from Sirius.

"Like we're going to trust a nutter with sharp objects," he teased.

"Then I had better take that back from you, eh?" He reached for it; Remus leapt back, brandishing the knife wildly.

"Lupin!" Lily's eyes were reproachful. "You ought to know better than to wave a sharp knife about."

"Don't fuss, Lil – if anybody gets cut, we'll just patch it up later." Janine's eyes were cheerful. "Well, come on then – cut the cake so we can eat!" Remus grinned and held the knife aloft.

As one, the group backed away. He burst into laughter.

"I'm not Sirius, you know."

Sirius pretended to be hurt. "Ah, Sir Moony, your words wound me. I am offended." He scowled fiercely. "I believe I will have to avenge that insult… tonight."

"I don't even _want _to know what that means," Janine grumbled. "Are you going to cut it, or not?"

Remus rolled his eyes and stepped forward again. The group took one step backwards. Rolling his eyes once more, he set the knife gently into the cake and cut the first piece, handing it with a flourish to Lily, who stood closest. The group began to sing for him – he blushed brightly as James's deep voice and Sirius's falsetto soared above everyone else's.

"_For he's a jolly good fellow… for he's a jolly good fellow, for he's a jolly good fe-ellow… WHICH NOBODY CAN DENYYYYYYYY!"_

Several hours later, many of the guests – the acquaintances, anyway – had left. The people left were Remus's closest friends, along with Alexia, Joanne, most of the Gryffindor Quidditch team, as well as Fabian Prewett. If it occurred to Remus that a great number of the people present were closer to _his _friends than to him, he didn't comment on it.

Remus had found himself with a large hoard of chocolate – which Sirius was eyeing greedily, and he immediately resolved to lock it all in his trunk and keep the key within sight at all times, although Sirius, being Sirius, would probably find a way around it anyway – and now his remaining friends were each vying for him to open their gift first.

Just to be polite, he chose Alexia's first. She smiled cheerfully as he opened it. He whistled slightly when he did – it was an painting, framed by a simple wooden frame with the inscription carved in – _To Remus, from Alexia, with love. _He whistled again. It was a very detailed picture of Hogwarts, with the sun setting behind the castle. "Where'd you get this?"

Alexia's cheeks were flaming. "I, er… I did it myself."

Remus gave her a wide smile. "It's fantastic! You have a lot of talent, you know." It occurred to him that he was speaking to his girlfriend, and that he ought to at least kiss her, or something, so he gave her a very chaste kiss on the cheek, causing her to glow with pleasure. He missed the look of wrath that Jen sent his way; Sirius snorted loudly and stuffed his fist into his mouth to stifle it. The moment had passed, however, as he recovered quickly, shouting, "Me next!"

Sirius fairly stuffed his present up Remus's nose, shaking all over with suppressed excitement. Remus took it warily, opening it slowly. He finished unwrapping it – and due to Sirius's _very _elaborate wrapping, that took quite a while – and flushed furiously when it was opened. "What is it?" Janine asked curiously.

"Some new reading material," mumbled Remus with a flush, and gave Sirius a proper scowl to let him know what he thought of friends who got other friends _Playwizard _for their birthday, particularly when females were in the room. James and Peter seemed to know about this present, however, and were both giving him wide grins. Remus shoved the cover back onto the gift and resolved to also lock _these _in the trunk and ascertain that nobody _ever _found them.

Although Sirius and James would probably beg him to let them borrow the magazines next week – provided they didn't have their own personal sets, that is.

His other presents were slightly more satisfactory – and less embarrassing, too. James had given him a large silken top hat that he had immediately jammed onto his head – and immediately regretted it, as it changed into a large, floppy-eared rabbit with a large POP a minute later, causing everyone to laugh – and Peter gave him a Magic Eight Ball. Except that it was really magical, this time – "My dad charmed it," Peter explained with a grin. Naturally, this gift made no sense to all the purebloods in the room, and Janine, Jen, James, and Sirius spent the next fifteen minutes trying to figure out what it did while Alyssa calmly (and intelligently) asked Lily to explain it to her. (Lily, of course, knew precisely what it was).

Janine had given him a wine red journal and a fabulous set of eagle quills (here, Lily had given James a sharp look, and Remus wondered why). Jen had given him a magical Bertie Bott's dispenser that seemed to require him to put a Knut in every time he wanted six beans – where the Knuts went, he had no idea. Jen grinned at him and advised him to read the instructions manual, which he tucked into his pocket. (He later realized that the instructions manual was entirely in German, which did him no good. He resolved to ask Peter, who was quite good at taking apart things and putting them back together, to take it apart and explain it to him.)

Alyssa had shyly handed him a luxury set of parchment; Jo had given him a beautiful picture frame. Marlene had handed him a stuffed dragon (which blew fake fire at Sirius, who grouchily demanded if she thought Remus was a child to give him a stuffed toy, while Remus resolved to set this dragon to guarding his new chocolate hoard), Lily had given him a large set of the most interesting socks she could find, and a bright red jumper (even brighter than a Gryffindor red) that caused James to snicker until Remus immediately pulled it over his head (here, he scowled at Lily, who gave him a superior look).

The other gifts were just as nice, if not nearly so personal. Remus found himself with an even larger hoard of chocolate now – although Sirius had immediately started in on it, which meant it would be all gone before the hour was up. One by one, his friends drifted out, leaving behind, after a time, only James, Sirius, and Peter.

"Let's leave the stuff here," suggested Sirius with a large yawn. "For the house-elves; they'll get it. I'm beat. All that partying…"

"Partying? Is that what they're calling it now?" Sirius glanced at Remus, who was smirking. "I was under the impression that you were trying to chat up every girl in the room. _Including _my girlfriend." His smile faded a bit at that.

"Yes, your girlfriend." Sirius was giving him a very shrewd look. "Nice kiss you gave her, by the way. Almost the way I'd give a kiss to my sister."

"Except you don't _have _a sister," Remus snapped. "What's your point?"

"You don't seem very… er… boyfriend-ish. Just observing," James added hastily when Remus glowered at him. "Come on now, Moony, you've got to admit – didn't you see the look Jen was giving you?"

"No," he replied shortly, wishing the floor would swallow him up. He felt bad for snapping at his friends – they had thrown him a party, of course – but this was possibly the last thing on his list of things he wanted to talk about.

"Look of death," remarked Peter, who know had Remus's pet rabbit in his hands (it had stopped changing and seemed to like Peter a great deal). "I swear, I though she was going to claw your eyes out. Yours _and _Walsh's."

"Wonder why," Remus began lamely, but Sirius was now fixing him with charcoal gray eyes.

"Something happened," he guessed. Remus didn't respond, and Sirius leapt up with a loud cry of, "Ha! Something _did _happen! Spill it."

"Nothing happen," he mumbled under his breath.

"She kissed you, didn't she? Good _God, _King has a lot more courage than I'd give her courage for! When was it?"

"Library. You guys were… planning this, I suppose. And Jen had dragged me off to help her with Potions, knowing very well that I'm terrible at it. Bad cover story, by the way. I suppose you suggested it, didn't you?"

His attempt to subtly steer away from the topic did not work. "Nah, James did. So. Is she any good? Never kissed her before, myself. Kissed all the others, though. Not Lily – oh, wait, yes, I have, haven't I? New Year's." He grinned suddenly. "Bloody hell, I'm a _stud!"_

"Er, right," Peter muttered, clearing his throat. "She's fancied you for ages, mate. Although it takes a certain amount of courage to kiss a guy just like that."

"Yeah," Remus mumbled, flushing. "So, can we not talk about it? It's sort of embarrassing."

"Yeah, yeah." James was glowering at the mention of Sirius's kiss with Lily, and distractedly ran his hand through his hair. "Take off the sweater, Remus," he ordered suddenly. "It looks stupid."

Remus stared. "What? Lily gave it to me; I'm not taking it off. I _like _it."

"It's a girl's color."

"Hello? It's _red! _Color of our house!"

"No, the color of our house is… red. That's like… cherry red. It's a girl's color. Take it off, Moony. You look like a poof."

"Shut up." Remus crossed his arms over his chest adamantly. "I'm not taking it off," he threatened. "I _like _it."

"Fine. Far be it from me to try and sway you. But when everybody begins to question your manhood…" Remus lunged for James, but Sirius quickly averted disaster by knocking Remus to the floor and sitting on his stomach. He grinned down at his friend.

"Want to try that particular maneuver again?" Remus shook his head. "Good." Sirius didn't get up.

Remus's voice was dry as he remarked, "After all, why would I need anyone to question my manhood based on my clothes? You're sitting on me. They already _do _question it."

"Alas, our secret is uncovered!" Sirius grinned at Remus in a way that clear said, don't-you-know-it, and Remus shifted uncomfortably, before rolling over and throwing Sirius's weight off of him. He sat up, rubbing his face to hide his red cheeks. Sirius was still grinning.

An awkward silence pervaded the room, with both Peter and James trying to figure out what had thrown the balance off. Finally, Peter cleared his throat. "Well, come on, lads. Lots of things to do before tomorrow. Back to the dorm, eh?"

Remus nodded. It was tradition for the boys to plan an explosion of pranks, the day after one of their birthdays – so much of an explosion that there was a certain tendency to skirt the four when encountered in the hall. But the Marauders were smart, and they targeted specific people.

Which meant that Severus Snape was going to have a _very _bad day upcoming.

X-X-X-X-X

A/N: Hello wonderful people, I'm _back! _Yes, I know it's been forever and I'm sorry. (Sort of). Been busy, still am, so I'll update when I can. I REALLY want to finish this story – or at least get to their post-Hogwarts years if nothing else. See, since HP and HBP is coming out in July… well, I wanted to write a story about Harry's sixth and seventh year going off this one, and I might still do that, but I haven't fully decided if I will or not. I realize that that story is a LONG ways off, but I need your opinions – do you want me to write it, or not? Because it will change the direction of this story – ever so slightly, anyway.

Okay, so I said it was under revision, right? Well, it was, and I'm pretty sure I'm done, though I may have missed a thing or two. The main thing that changed is the Whomping Willow scene – the changes start around Chapter 5 and go up until maybe Chapter 8 or 9, can't remember. _THAT _I suggest you reread, because it's changed part of the story. And Sirius's eyes are gray; Janine's are blue. I haven't made all the changes I wanted to, so be on the lookout for updates, but I've made most of them so now I'm back on track.

I personally am not happy with this chapter – I thought it was boring. But it does kind of set up a sort of sub-plot about two people in this chapter (I'll leave you guessing who) that I won't explore really deeply, but I will explore a little. So anyway.

I won't tell you what's upcoming, because I don't know yet. Thanks for your reviews, and keep 'em coming please!

And leave your ideas on whether or not to write a story like the one mentioned above in your reviews, please. Muchas gracias.

And don't worry. If nothing else, I _will _see this story to the end.

Love you all, xoxo - Peaches


	25. Flying Books

Disclaimer: Characters and settings are property of J.K. Rowling. What you don't recognize is mine. And I _wish _I owned the Marauders (specifically Sirius and Remus) but most unfortunately, I do not.

Highlights of the last chapter: Remus's birthday is upcoming; Lily and James go on something that is _resemblant _of a date (yes, apparently that IS a word, more on that in the author's note at the bottom); Remus gets lots of presents, and there are some slashy undertones to Remus and Sirius's usually platonic banter but I SWEAR they won't develop… they'll just remain undertones. No worries… they're both straight. Not that I have any problem with them being gay, but in THIS fic, it's straight. Sorry to any slash-shippers!

X-X-X-X-X

As it turned out, Snape _did _have a very bad day. He tripped fourteen times, and he was fairly certain that none of those times was his fault. While he sat in the library, leaning close to the tiny print to read it, the book slammed shut on his nose more than once. As he sat in the Great Hall, carefully writing out his essays in neat, cramped print, his quills squirted ink into his face and his inkbottles overturned on his essay twice.

And that was just the beginning.

After three mishaps involving a suit of armor, a jar of green sparkly paint, and a bucket of very cold and very soapy water, Lily, flanked by her four wet and shivering friends, confronted a quartet of mischief makers, sitting in the Come and Go room, pouring over a sheet of ratty parchment that was quickly whipped from sight when the girls entered.

"This has got to stop," Lily seethed, shoving her sopping curls into Sirius's face. "I've had enough."

"Lily Flower, my darling," Sirius began in a charming voice. "You seem ever so angry, and I cannot imagine why."

Marlene stomped forward to join her friend, scowling. "Quit your flowery words, Black," she snapped, holding out her wet, frizzy hair. "You're a boy, and so I can understand how you _wouldn't _know that water makes hair frizzy, _particularly _when that hair is frizzy to begin with but has been laboriously straightened so that a girl might look nice for her date in the evening."

"We're not targeting you _specifically, _poppet," Sirius answered consolingly, a slow grin forming on his face. Lily glowered at his three friends, who sat behind him, helpless with laughter. "You just happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time." His eyes skimmed over the remaining three, as furious as Lily and Marlene. "…Er, all of you."

"Could you please _warn _us, then?" Alyssa demanded. "As in, tell us where not to go and when?"

"Of course not, darling." James smiled sweetly. "That would take all the fun out of it."

"Fun for _who, _exactly?" Janine asked dangerously, her eyes glittering with suppressed rage.

"For _whom, _not for _who,_" Remus corrected pleasantly. Ordinarily, he would have apologized, but this was _tradition. _And traditions had to be upheld.

Janine responded by telling him to go do something that would have made her mother shriek. Peter looked cheerful as he asked, "Is that even possible?"

Lily threw her hands up. "Why _are _you doing this?" she demanded of the four boys. "Does it have a point? Or is it merely useless fun for you four? Because here's a newsflash: we could get your hides _whipped _by Filch for all the mess he's hand to clean up all day. All the mess that stems from _you. _He might even be so thrilled that we brought him the perpetrators that he'll even let us _watch _if when he whips you. What do you have to say to that?"

"Only that you wouldn't do it," replied James cheekily. Lily raised an eyebrow. "No, really. You wouldn't do it."

"House loyalty and all that," contributed Sirius.

"Speaking of house loyalty," suggested Jen angrily, "I suppose you were displaying it in great quantities when you had those suits of armor block the portrait hole, did you? Because we were shouting for someone to let us out for an _hour. _Then Lily had the presence of mind to floo Professor McGonagall in her office and ask for help."

"An hour? Wow. We'd been betting on fifteen minutes, maybe twenty. But an _hour?" _Peter whistled. "That's even better than we hoped for." Jen scowled at him; he grinned in response.

"Ladies, please." James made a formal bow to them from his seat. "We are the Purveyors of Magical Mischief. How can we live up to our names if we don't go around purveying?"

Janine placed her hands on her hips. "No more pranks," she ordered the boys.

Ordinarily, this might have produced some sort of effect – at least from one the boys showing a little contrition, turning and telling the others that maybe they _should _stop. Instead, she received four cheeky grins. "No can do, babe," Sirius told her, propping his chin up in one hand. "By the way, did you see the way we got Snape's nose in the library? Priceless."

Lily spun on him, fuming. "You can _not _treat people like that!"

"Why?"

"Why? _Why? _Because it's wrong, that's why! It's – it's awful! Despicable! Sirius Black, do you know how many people must have _no _self-esteem due to you and your little friends and your so-called _fun_?"

"Forty?" he guessed. "Fifty?"

"SIRIUS BLACK!"

"Listen," Remus finally began earnestly, his eyes shining. "This happens five times a year. This all-out pranking. April Fool's, and the day after our birthdays. It's _tradition. _You can't go around breaking tradition."

"It's a _bad _tradition," Janine said, scowling.

"So's the wizarding one that makes most of us inbred morons," James muttered. "But people still do that, don't they?" Lily's eyes flashed angrily at him.

"Then we'll work hard to change that one," Lily retorted. "And you should change this one. Those water balloons in the Great Hall could really hurt someone."

"Evans…"

"We didn't get caught in them," interjected Jen. "But loads of people did. And the flying books in the library? Guys, at least three people have gone to Madam Pomfrey, begging for a potion to reduce the swelling."

"They should learn to duck faster, then," replied Sirius unsympathetically. "Honestly, is it _our _fault that they're too blind when a great flying object comes towards them?"

"They got hit in the _back _of the head, idiot."

"Well, someone could have warned them. Honestly. If books were flying at _my _friend's back, I'd think to warn them." He glanced at James. "Oh, well, maybe not."

Lily stormed forward and leaned down until her nose was just inches from Sirius's. "You. Are. Not. Going. To. Prank. Us. Any. More. Got that?"

"I am not going to prank you anymore," he repeated obediently. Lily stepped back, satisfied, at least until he murmured, "Well, not _specifically _you, anyway. But I'll tell you this much – if you don't want to get caught in all the mayhem, skip dinner."

"Why?" Jen's eyes were suspicious. "What are you going to do?"

Sirius swept a bow. "That, milady, is for _me _to know and _you _to find out."

X-X-X-X-X

And so it was that Lily Evans and co. entered the Great Hall with no small amount of trepidation, looking warily about, searching for falling buckets or flying food.

But the ceiling only depicted the clear night sky, with hundreds of stars twinkling merrily down at them, and everyone else was deeply involved in discussion, either about the day's antics or other nonsensical gossip.

Lily took her seat warily, a deeply etched frown on her face as she glanced at the four boys down the table, noting their wide grins. That should have been enough to tip _anyone _off. "What do you think they've planned?"

"Not sure," Marlene replied, warily poking her potatoes with her fork as Alyssa inspected her pumpkin juice suspiciously. "Maybe we _ought _to have skipped dinner, you know." She set her fork down. "Come on. Let's make a run for it while we – ARGH!"

Everyone whirled as a large balloon, filled with pumpkin juice, splattered directly onto Marlene's head, causing her to shriek. There was a tense pause as everyone waited, glancing up occasionally – but no more came.

"Miss McKinnon," McGonagall began irritably, striding towards them, "What is the matter of-" She cut off abruptly as a balloon splattered near her feet.

She glanced up – there were no more coming – and whirled on the boys. "What have you _done?" _she demanded.

It seemed to have set off a bomb. All of a sudden, balloons were raining down around them. Janine, Jen, and Alyssa shrieked, covering their heads with their arms – Lily didn't even bother; she just ducked under the table.

At the other end of the table, she saw the four Marauders, sniggering behind their hands and shaking with their laughter as they listened to the yells and shrieks from above their heads. Scowling, Lily began to crawl towards them – cursing loudly the two times she banged her head on the table – until she reached the nearest one, Peter.

She grabbed him. "MAKE. IT. STOP."

"What are you complaining for, Evans?" Sirius grinned at her. "You're down here and dry, aren't you?" He glanced at her arms, splattered from the juice. "Well, mostly. Want me to lick those off for you?"

"Ugh. You're a _dog, _Sirius Black." For some reason, this set the four off into hysterics again. She gave them all her best don't-mess-with-me scowl. "I mean it, now. Stop this nonsense. You've had your fun." They all grinned at her, and she added, in her most threatening voice, "Don't make me put you all in detention for the rest of your lives."

"Ah, but Lily," James explained with a grin, leaning towards her, "You'll do that anyway, won't you?"

"MISS EVANS!" Lily's head jerked up and she stared at a livid McGonagall. "I had _not _expected you to be part of this… this…"

"Harmless fun?" suggested Sirius slyly.

"Be quiet, Mr. Black! Detention! All of you! All _five _of you!"

"But I didn't do any-"

"You'll start by cleaning up this mess. Without _magic. _And believe me, I'll know if you use it." She straightened up and stormed off.

Lily turned to scowl at the four boys, who were still grinning. "Oh, thanks a _lot._"

"Look at it this way," Remus offered with a slow smile. "You get to spend more time grilling us, right?"

She groaned.

X-X-X-X-X

James groaned. It was like taking one step forward, and two steps backward. On Remus's birthday, Lily and James had almost resembled something like friends. Now, Lily scowled whenever she saw him.

_All right, so we **could** have told McGonagall that she had nothing to do with it, but still…_

Days had passed, weaning into March. _Well, never mind Evans. More important things are coming up._

_More important things like my birthday._

James had been dropping hints to his friends constantly – things like, "Gee, that surprise party was fun, eh? I almost wish _someone _would give _me _one!"

"For the love of Merlin, Prongs, _shut up._" Sirius glanced up from where he was carefully writing out a Transfiguration essay in as large writing as he could. "We got the message. You want a surprise birthday party. Right. Okay. Written it down in my homework planner, except I haven't got one. Happy now?"

"Are you going to give me a surprise party?"

"_No. _Not with you carrying on like you do. We'll probably just sneak some Firewhisky, get drunk, and try to make it through classes while fighting the pangs of a hangover and perform a couple of half-arsed pranks just to uphold tradition. Okay?"

"Okay." James had deflated slightly by now. "It wouldn't be as much fun, though. I still think you guys should give me a-"

Sirius chucked his transfiguration book at James's head, and James wisely departed.

He found Lily working in the library, and remembered something he'd wanted to show her. First, though, he figured he'd better get her talking to him. "Hey, Lily, a word?"

She shot him a slightly poisonous look and said, in a voice that might have been conversational but for the underlying venom, "Did you know that until the beginning of this month, I'd never had a detention in my life?" Then she scowled. "Oh, hang on, wait. Last month, I got another detention because _you_ punched the boy who asked me out."

"You punched me back and gave me a nosebleed," James replied meekly. Lily scowled. "Er… sorry?"

"Well, that won't make the detentions go away, now will it?" She took a deep breath and blew her bangs from her face. "You know something? Just forget about it. You're forgiven, assuming you were here to apologize."

He hadn't been, actually, but he decided to go along with her anyway. "Yeah. Er… that and something else."

"Yes?"

To her surprise, he strode over to the nearest bookcase, pulled down a very fat book, and thumped it in front of her, muttering to himself. At long last, he pronounced, "Aha!" and jabbed at the page with a finger. Confused, Lily leaned closer and read:

_Resemblant Resem"blant (-blant) See resemble Having or exhibiting resemblance; resembling_

Lily stared at it blankly, uncomprehending. "What exactly are you trying to prove?" she finally asked in confusion.

"That I was right!" James replied triumphantly. "Don't you remember, that night at the Three Broomsticks?" Her look was slowly giving way to one of dawning comprehension, and James started to nod enthusiastically. "Yeah, exactly, see? It _is _a word!"

She stared at him now. "I cannot _believe _you went through all that trouble to prove this to me."

"Aren't you impressed?"

"You are either completely focused on impressing me or absolutely ridiculous," Lily replied wryly, "and I'm not sure which."

"Both?" he suggested, and Lily rolled her eyes. Now that his point was proven, James reshelved the dictionary, saying, "So, what are you reading now? Demonic Taxonomy again?"

"Hardly; I finished that ages ago." James turned around to see her hide the book in her lap, cheeks pink.

"Then what are you reading?" James asked again. He'd been polite before; now he was curious. Was she blushing? It looked like it, which meant she was embarrassed. "Come on, let me see, I won't laugh if it's something incredibly dorky-"

He and Lily were soon engaged in a tussle over the book, which James eventually won after an almighty tug that sent him flying backwards and onto his behind. Dazedly, he glanced at the book and snorted, before glancing up at a very red Lily. "_The Wings of Thestrals? _Oh, God, this is _shit, _Lily. Janine wanders around reading these trashy novels – and I always figured you were better than this!"

"It was a deal," Lily retorted, snatching it bag and stuffing it into her bag, still bright red. "She has to read Shakespeare. Not," she added disparagingly, "that you'd know what or _who _Shakespeare is. I suppose Remus is the only one of you who's remotely cultured-"

"Shakespeare's that muggle playwright of the 1700s, right?" James asked curiously, getting off the floor.

Lily stopped in the middle of packing her bag, her eyes widening. "Early 1600s, actually, or late 1500s," she replied in surprise. "I can't believe you _know!"_

"I'm not uneducated, you know," James replied, pretending to look hurt. "I _have _read Shakespeare occasionally." _Only when Moony shoves it down my throat, but still…_

"Have you read _Romeo and Juliet? Macbeth? A Midsummer Night's-_"

"Whoa, I didn't say I was _that _educated, either! Although…" He frowned thoughtfully. "Romeo's the prat who's in love with the daughter of his family's enemies, right?"

"Well, yes, but – he's not a prat! He's… he's romantic, and heroic, and-"

"He's mooning after a girl he barely knows," interrupted James.

"And how, pray tell, is that any different from _you?"_

James blinked in surprise. "Oh, well, that was just low, Evans. Besides, if you think Romeo's so romantic and all that, why don't you think _I _am, too?"

"I – I – oh!" She flung her arms up into the air. "All my attempts to have serious, thought-provoking conversations go all wrong!"

James wasn't sure how to respond to that, so he shrugged and moved on to another topic. "So, if you think I'm romantic, will you go out with me?"

As James ran from the library, Lily shrieking after him and Madam Pince shrieking after her, he thought rather woefully that it was the _second _time that day he'd had a book chucked at him.

X-X-X-X-X

March 18th came around surprisingly fast. James woke up to a dark, empty dormitory. He glanced around, perplexed. Where was all the fanfare, the streamers, the balloons, the Firewhisky, the naked and swooning women?

(All right, so the last one was debatable, but still.)

All he found was, on the floor, a single white lily, and a folded note underneath. Curious, he picked it up and read, scowling.

_Dear Prongsie:_

_Happy Birthday! Bet you're wondering where we all are, eh? See, we've got this thing called class. Maybe you remember it. Anyway, here's the deal – we decided, since you're the birthday boy, we ought to leave you in bed. To sleep._

_Oh, and Petey slipped a sleeping potion into your dinner last night. Prob'ly why you're so tired, but you prob'ly don't remember that. You can thank me later. Janine and Jen brewed it, so if you want to get back at someone, exact your revenge on them._

_Anyway, it's probably about noon now or so – so I suggest you just skip classes and hang around the room. We'll bring you class notes and homework and stuff later – we told Minnie you're sick, so never fear._

_What great friends you have. Lying and sneaking just so you can sleep in on your birthday. Aren't we nice? Does the flower remind you of a certain redhead?_

_Hugs and slobbery kisses,_

_Pads_

James crumpled up the paper and threw it aside. _Stupid friends. Some birthday this is going to be, _he thought sourly. He showered and dressed lazily in jeans and an old Quidditch jumper, and then went down to the empty common room.

"Damn it all, Padfoot, you _suck _at throwing a nice surprise for the birthday boy," James grumbled.

"Well, now, I wouldn't say that." James whirled, startled – his three friends stood by fireplace, all dressed in jeans and jumpers. James blinked. "Bet you thought we'd abandoned you, didn't you? Prat. You got your cloak? The _invisible _one, Prongs, not your regular one."

"I… what?"

"So stupid. You wanted a surprise, eh? So we figured we'd do something different. We're sneaking out. Into _Hogsmeade._" Sirius grinned. "Going to spend the day there, too, and get drunk off our arses tonight. We'll have to prank tomorrow, of course, it's tradition-"

"We're going to have an awful time explaining this to McGonagall," Remus said with a grin, "so you'd better start thinking of ideas now."

"Go get the cloak," pressed Peter. "We've already lost a lot of hours because you slept in too much."

"It's not my fault," James replied hotly, though he couldn't keep from grinning. "You idiots made the potion too strong. By the way, where was the need to give me that?"

"Gave us time to… er… set things up. Your cloak should be on your bed, by the way, if you didn't notice it," added Remus. "We had to borrow it."

James gave them a fleeting grin before loping up the stairs to get it.

X-X-X-X-X

Of course, four sixteen-year-old boys were not going to fit under one cloak, and so it was decided that Peter would sneak out as a rat, and Sirius as a dog. For a large dog, Sirius was remarkably sneaky and able to blend into the shadows well. And squeezing under the cloak together, Remus and James followed them down.

They passed students, busily on their way to the Great Hall. James wanted to stop off for lunch; Remus wouldn't let him. "We're not in uniform," Remus hissed, dragging him away from the doors. "Besides, Rosie's set something great up for us at the Three Broomsticks; do you really want to miss that?"

James grudgingly admitted that no, he didn't want to miss that, and they were off again.

When at last they reached Hogsmeade an hour later, with all the villagers at the height of their afternoons, they'd found a great dog sitting in the back alley of the Three Broomsticks, and then snuck in the back door. It was, of course, packed, but Rosmerta pointed them through a door to the back room, the _special _room.

And it _was _a special room. It was the private booth, where Rosmerta conducted business and sometimes allowed important people, if she were in a generous mood. But the four Marauders were her favorite customers, and she did just about anything for them. With a smile and a wink, she'd set four Butterbeers in front of them before vanishing to take care of the front.

"So, to our dearest Jamsie, from us, on his seventeenth birthday," Sirius toasted, lifting his tankard high. Three others clanked against (Peter had to practically stand up to reach), and then the four friends drank deeply. Sirius drained his first, slamming it down with a sort of finality onto the tabletop. "And another!"

And so the boys continued on with their lunch, not drinking enough to get entirely drunk, but enough for James to feel sufficiently tipsy. By the end of their lunch (well, their third lunch, anyway, as Sirius kept going back for more, even after they'd left and wandered the town twice already), James's friends were grinning at him devilishly.

_I don't like their looks, _he thought, as his friend hauled him up by his arms and proceeded to drag him back out into the fray of the Three Broomsticks, headed for a portrait of a younger Rosmerta, probably aged fifteen, leaning on a countertop. The portrait-Rosie winked at James, and he began to get a very bad feeling…

X-X-X-X-X

"Miss Evans, I don't suppose you've seen your fellow prefect?" Lily started and turned, only pausing to wave her curious friends on. She turned to fully face Professor McGonagall and frowned.

"I beg your pardon?"

"Seen your fellow prefect," the older woman repeated patiently. "Or his cohorts, for that matter."

"…No." Lily blinked. She had realized they were missing, of course, but hadn't though much of it until now. After all, _she _wasn't their keeper, was she? But then, it was a bit strange for all four of them to go missing like that, especially for the entire day. One of them, maybe. All of them for half a day, it was possible. But all of them, all day? Highly unlikely.

"Not even this morning, on your way from the tower?"

"No, Professor." McGonagall was already looking down the hall after Lily's friends, however, so Lily felt compelled to add, "I doubt they know either. We've been together all day, too."

"Hmm…" McGonagall frowned. "Oh, bugger it." Lily's eyes went huge as McGonagall's cross wording, but the professor didn't appear to notice that Lily was there any longer. "Those silly boys are up to no good again, I'm sure. Well, Miss Evans…" She sighed. "Run along, then, and enjoy the rest of your evening. I imagine you must have some work to do – and do send those four down to me if you find them, please?"

"Of course, Professor. Would you like me to check their dormitory?"

"Oh, I doubt they'd be foolish enough to hide in there, but you may as well. I believe I'll go see the Headmaster… _honestly, _all four of them missing for this long, it's strange…" Lily's head of house stalked off, muttering to herself. Lily just shook her head and hastened to catch up with her friends.

She eventually caught up with them, lounging around the common room. Jen's tie now hung loosely from her neck; Alyssa's hair, having been done up in a neat bun, was now loosely arrayed about her face; Marlene had kicked off her shoes, revealing her favorite pink socks, the right one with the hole at the big toe; Janine's shirt was half undone, showing off the pale yellow camisole beneath. The four glanced up as Lily came in.

"What did McGonagall want to ask you about?" Marlene asked, moving her feet to the floor so that Lily could sit down.

"Wanted to know where the boys were," she responded, without taking the seat. "I'm going to go take a look-see at the boys' dorm to see if they're in there. D'you want to come?" She'd only offered out of politeness; she hardly expected any of them to agree.

To her surprise, Janine stood up, brushing off her skirt. "Come on, then," she said, nudging Jen's thigh with her foot. "Let's go snoop."

"We're not going to _snoop,_" Lily scolded. "Just to see if they're there."

"Sure, sure. Aren't you just a bit curious what they keep up there? I bet, if the boys have a free chance to get into our dorms, they'd have read all of our diaries," Alyssa murmured, sitting up.

"Never mind that the only one of us who has a diary is Marly, and hers is well-protected," Jen retorted, but she was grinning. "Oh, go on, Lil, let's just take a peek." Lily sighed, but she allowed them to follow her. They reached the dormitory and, without so much as a pause, pushed the door opened.

Lily started. She'd expected a messy room, but this was actually quite neat. Lily had been here a few times before, to shout at the boys or occasionally swipe something back from James, something he'd stolen, and then there had been clothes everywhere, books tossed about the room, broomsticks lolling about on the floor. Now, the room was spick-and-span, everything in its place, two broomsticks (Sirius and James's, no doubt) lined up near to the door, all the trunks set smoothly at the foot of the beds.

"Well, I didn't expect it to look at all like this," Janine exclaimed, "but it makes it easier to put everything in its place, doesn't it? Come on, Lil, I want to see what's in Sirius's trunk."

"Why?"

"Why? Because I'm curious, that's why. What sort of question is that? Come on." She knelt and quickly undid the clasp with expert fingers, throwing it open and beginning to carefully rifle though. Anything she took out, she carefully set beside her without mussing it.

Within moments, Alyssa and Marlene were searching Peter's wardrobe, and Jen had begun to tentatively sift through Remus's bedside drawer.

And there, sitting at the foot of a bed not far from Lily, was a trunk, beautiful made and with a golden plate bearing J.E.P. "James E. Potter," she breathed, and unable to contain herself, opened it.

Copying Janine's example, she began to set things gently to the side. Her insides squirmed guiltily at this invasion of privacy, but after all, what could Potter possibly have hidden in here? And she was right, too – she only found clothes, some old Quidditch magazines and a few others (Lily found a copy of _Playwizard, _and hastily hid it at the very bottom) before coming across a plain red journal.

"Well, would you look at that," Lily murmured. "Potter has a diary."

In a flash, Janine had swooped over and snatched it up. Lily noticed she was wearing a thick silver watch with sapphires for knobs, as well as a blue jumper that was so large it hung halfway to her knees. She began to flip through James's journal experimentally.

Lily gasped. "Janine! You can't read that, it's private, it's… it's such an _invasion, _it's… why the hell are you laughing?"

For she was. Alyssa, Marlene, and Jen quickly crowded around, read a few of the sentences, and began to laugh loudly. "Listen to this!" Jen cried, as the other girls howled with laughter. "_January 6, 1976, 9:42 AM - Subject is very cranky in the morning and has been eating sherbet balls non-stop. Has been seen levitating slightly in classes. Was very angry when offered to help her pick up the quills she had dropped five minutes ago. May be time of the month. Will go ask… January 6, 1976, 9:46 AM – Subject has given me black eye. Is **definitely** time of the month._" Jen looked up, her eyes dancing. "Sound familiar, Lils?"

Lily snatched the journal from Jen, and began to read, fury emanating from her with every passing moment. When she next glanced up, all four of her friends had wisely backed off, although they all appeared to still be fighting laughter. "This… this is… God, he's talking about me as though I were a… a…"

"Experiment?" Alyssa suggested carefully, and squeaked when Lily let out a shriek of fury and chucked James's _Playwizard _magazine at her. Lily's fingers clutched the red journal so tightly that her fingers began to turn white. She shrieked again (all of her friends clutched their hands over their ears) and kicked James's trunk so hard that it toppled over, spilling all his things.

"Oh, God, he is _so _going to die for this," she hissed, and stormed from the boys' dorm, not even bothering to put James's things back.

X-X-X-X-X

James stared around the tiny room they'd just entered. A single fireplace, with a plain red jar on top. "Come on, then," Sirius said impatiently, "it's nearly four o'clock, you know, and we haven't got all day…"

"Where are we going?" James asked, but Sirius refused to answer, and Remus and Peter only gave him light shoves in the back, grinning.

"You'll see." Sirius snagged some floo powder from the jar, and stepped into the grate, pulling James with him, both of them stooping so as not to bump their heads. "Thestral Wings," he announced, and within moments, they were spinning away.

James, for one, hated floo travel – it made him floo-sick – but he arrived without feeling _too _nauseous, nearly collapsing but being caught by Sirius at the last possible moment. He blinked.

They were in a bar – a more-or-less empty bar, but a bar nevertheless. "Pads, it's four o'clock in the afternoon and you brought me to a _bar," _James complained loudly. "Are you nuts?"

"No, but most people think I am." Sirius gestured with a flick of his hand, and he and the other two Marauders led James into a back room. "So, here are your presents, the ones from the four of us, anyway. The girls wanted to give you their themselves, so you'll have to wait for theirs."

"Did Lily get me a present?"

"How the hell should I know? C'mon, mate, we've got some hours left until the day's over. We're in Diagon Alley, by the way. Thestral Wings was just the password to get us into this place." Sirius grinned widely. "Are you surprised?"

"Where exactly _are _we?"

"Wizarding night club."

"It's not night," James pointed out reasonably.

"No, it's not," agreed Remus from behind him. "Not _yet, _anyway. But I do want you to know that Sirius planned all of this, so if you insist on blaming someone for anything that happens tonight, you can blame him."

"Believe me, you won't be blaming anybody after tonight." Sirius hauled on a trunk, pulling it from a corner. He kicked it open. "All right, lads, let's take our pick!"

It was a trunk full of clothes, to James's surprise. And what clothes they were. He saw Sirius enthusiastically shed his Gryffindor jumper for a lime green shirt and ocean blue pants. His eyebrows flew up as Sirius struck a pose. "Do I look hot, or what?"

"I suppose to Janine you would," Remus replied grudgingly, brandishing a pair of purple trousers. "I ask you, who would wear this stuff? Sirius, where'd you get all this?"

"My Uncle Alphard," Sirius replied flippantly. "Alfie's got a load of rubbish in his flat, you know." James, who had only met the flamboyant and adventurous Uncle Alphard once, could believe that.

Several hours later, with clothes having been discarded in all directions, only to be later picked up and then discarded _again_, James had chosen a tomato red shirt ("Boring," announced Sirius, who was still striking poses in his lime green shirt for a mirror, which regularly proclaimed, "Fabulous, dah-ling!" at him) and shiny gold pants ("Honesty, James," Remus had said, grinning, "you can't even let the Gryffindor thing go for a night, can you?"), Sirius had kept his lime green shirt but traded in his blue pants for a pair of tight leather trousers, Remus had pulled on the purple trousers and a silvery-shirt with a strangely ruffled collar and cuffs, and Peter had chosen a pair of turquoise trousers, shiny calf-high black books, a floaty, loose white shirt, and a necklace of heavy turquoise-colored stones.

The four boys lined up in front of the mirror, all striking various poses. Although he hadn't drunk anything yet, James felt slightly giddy with excitement. Sirius grinned, bending over to examine his arse. "We look _hot,_" he declared.

"Most definitely," agreed Remus, surprising them all. "Does anybody have a camera?"

"Yes," Peter said suddenly, digging through the large mountain of presents that had collected on the table by the fireplace. "A lot of your ex-girlfriends sent gifts," Peter explained to James, "And I took the liberty of going through them to make sure they weren't… er… hexed, or anything."

"Some of them were rather funny, though," Sirius admitted as Peter began rummaging for the camera. "Do you know, one girl sent you a set of bright red lingerie? Although I think that it's more for _her _than it is for _you…_"

"Who was it from?" James thought eagerly as Remus held it up gingerly. For some reason, an unbidden picture of Lily wearing it came into his mind – and then Sirius snatched it from Remus and held it up against himself, batting his eyelashes, and James went to a very bad mental place. Remus brought him back by glanced at the tag.

"Audrey Caphis."

"Audrey _who?"_

"God, Jimmy, you dated her at the beginning of the year when Travers bashed your skull in. Remember?" James fought to, and then recognition lit his eyes.

"Oh! Her. Blimey, I don't think red's her color – Sirius, mate, you want this? Bet Janie would look good in it." Sirius scowled at James for that; James shrugged. "Well, she probably would. Or Jen, too, Remus, you could take it." Remus scowled at James, too. "Man, let's all attack the birthday boy, eh? Fine, I'll give it to Prewett so he can give it to McKinnon. She looks good in red, too."

"I think you should just burn it and forget you got it from anyone," Sirius declared. "That way, when she asks you what happened to it, you can just pretend you never got it, or something." Peter had set up the camera, and it was madly clicking pictures of them striking various poses. James rolled his eyes.

"Thanks, Pads."

"Hey, no sweat. Ready to go out and get pissed?"

"Most definitely," James responded with a wide grin. Sirius opened to the door to the now hopping club, and James strode confidently in.

X-X-X-X-X

Several hours later, James could barely remember his own name. All he knew was that a very curvaceous barmaid kept handing him Firewhiskies and winking at him as she flipped long blond hair over one shoulder, leaning forward and giving him a nice view of her ample cleavage.

But, for the first time in his life, James wasn't interested. Even though he was drunk. It was all he could do not to tell the woman to sod off, that he was in love with Lily Evans, and that it would be like cheating on her even though they weren't dating.

James finally stumbled away and collapsed into a corner booth, his entire head one massive ache from Firewhisky after Firewhisky, plus a few other drinks that Sirius "swore by." As he gazed out into the throngs of the club, he saw Peter at the bar, flirting with the barmaid he'd just left, and then Remus, who was doing a line of vodka shorts, and then Sirius, who was dancing in the very middle of the club, surrounded by at least five women, all of whom looked to be too old for him.

James grinned as a redheaded girl slid into a seat next to him, curling her fingers on his arm. "Hi," she said, her voice breathy and giggly.

"Hi," he slurred. "S'your name Lily?"

"No," she giggled, "but you can call me that if you want. Why're you sitting over her all by yourself? Somebody as good looking as you," she said, "should not be by himself on his birthday. Come dance with me."

James was only too happy to oblige her. He followed her dumbly onto the floor until he was a few feet away from Sirius, who winked at him. His hands on his hips, her arms twining about his neck – and James lost himself to a drunken haze of bodies, music, and more alcohol, dancing with a redheaded girl who let him call her Lily.

X-X-X-X-X

Author's Note: So I'm really enjoying the mental image of Sirius Black in a lime green shirt and tight leather pants, aren't you:) Ok, so seriously – apparently resemblant IS a word, which, according to Microsoft word, it's NOT. Granted, it's a computer and not fool-proof, but whatever. So, what were James's birthday presents? I don't know. I'll include them in the next chapter if I'm in a good mood. Yeah, and I bet you all thought I'd FORGOTTEN about that diary. Well, never fear – I get the feeling it was more LIKE ten steps backwards rather than two for James and Lily now, huh? Tough luck for them… and yeah, I'm pretty sure McGonagall would know better than to assume that Lily was in on the prank, but it's the whole one-step-forward-two-steps-back thing going, so, whatever.

Oh, yeah, and thanks to all the people who told me I'd posted Chapter 21 TWICE… that should be fixed now. Let me know if you see any other problems, and I'll fix 'em.

Wow, relatively short author's not for me, huh? So, I've actually got to go and finish all the homework I've been putting off all weekend – and Happy Valentine's Day, everyone (although really, it's one of my least favorite holidays… just a day for Hallmark to make LOTS of money and for guys to get ripped up. Those poor guys…)

xoxo - Peaches


	26. You Owe Me

Disclaimer: Characters and settings are property of J.K. Rowling. What you don't recognize is mine. And I _wish _I owned the Marauders (specifically Sirius and Remus) but most unfortunately, I do not.

Highlights of the Last Chapter: Pranks abound; James proves Lily wrong (possibly for the first and last time, if Lily has anything to say about it); Lily and James have a very intellectual discussion on the character of Romeo from Shakespeare's _Romeo and Juliet; _Books are thrown; the boys take James out for his birthday, specifically to a nightclub, where Sirius wears tight leather pants, Remus wears ruffles, they all get hopelessly drunk, and James wanders off with some random redhead whom I never saw fit to give a name. Meanwhile, Lily discovers James's not-diary and goes into a fury, and we never actually see the boys get back to Hogwarts.

Before going into the next chapter, I would just like to take the time to say something: a lot of people expected that random redhead from last chapter to become important or something. That's totally unintentional, because she's not GOING to become important. She's a random hooker who, as far as I was and am concerned, is never going to appear again. There might be more hookers, but not that particular one. Okay?

Other Author's notes at the end of the chapter, like usual. Onwards and Upwards!

X-X-X-X-X

"Well, I hope you're proud of yourself. Happy birthday, by the way."

James groaned – every inch of his body aching – and sat up, before giving a very manly scream and falling from his bed, sheets tangled around his legs. He reached for the bedside table, fingers grasping, and then found his glasses and jammed them onto his face. He was dimly aware that Remus and Peter were snorting as they tried to wake up ("Who died?" Remus demanded groggily, before wincing at the sound of his own voice), but James was only aware of the fact that Janine Garnet lay sprawled on his bed, in her school uniform, twirling a strand of hair around one finger.

"What," he asked in a wheezing voice, "are you _doing?"_

"Giving you your present, pillock." She sat up on her knees, clutching a large square box done up in a bright Gryffindor red ribbon. She cocked her head. "And I would advise you to stay in bed today, for your own health."

"Because I'm hung-over?" he croaked, and immediately winced at the noise.

"Well, there's that, but mostly because McGonagall's going to kill you. She'd have to beat Lily to it, though. I really _do _advise you to stay in bed today. And breakfast is almost over, did you know that?"

"What happened to our stuff?" squawked Peter suddenly. "Someone's been through our things!" James scrambled up and regretted it as the pounding in his head became fiercer and his insides began to swim.

"Not through ours," Remus mumbled, climbing out of bed on his hands and knees. "Just James's." James squinted as his trunk, only to find it upturned, all of his things sprawled on the floor. Janine's face twisted into a grin. "D'you know who did this?" Remus asked hoarsely.

"Yes, I do," Janine said, setting her present aside. "But if I tell you, it takes all the fun out of telling you. Where's Sirius, by the way?"

"Isn't he-" James stopped, trying to sort through the hazy fog of memories that was last night. _Oh. _Flashes of images went through his mind-

Sirius handing him a lopsided cake, singing a slurred birthday song with dirty lyrics as Remus and Peter grinned madly in the background, and the curvaceous bartender smiled coyly at him, blowing cigarette smoke out of her pouty red lips –

A pretty redhead, pressing her hands into his lower back as she leaned closer, swaying in time to the music, whispering sultry things into his ear as he mumbled, "Why aren't you always this nice to me, Lily?" causing her to giggle, whispering back, "I can be, if you'd like…" -

Sirius grunting something and waving them off as he sauntered up the stairs of the club, his arm around the waist of a shrilly giggling brunette who was most definitely _not _Janine, for she wasn't nearly as pretty in James's opinion although his opinion didn't count for much as he couldn't really remember his own name at that point -

"Went off with some girl last night, I think," James muttered, but he soon regretted it as Janine's eyes flashed angrily.

"Oh, it _figures,_" she said in disgust. "I'm so finished with him."

"Sure you are," James muttered quietly, but it couldn't have been all that quiet, because Janine grabbed his present and flung it at his head. He howled as he dropped to his knees, clutching his head. "Effing hell, Janine! Hurts enough without you making it worse!"

"Serves you right, you snarky bastard," she retorted angrily. "Ooh… I hope Lily _does _find you, it would give us all a laugh!" She stormed out of the dormitory, snapping back, "Happy Effing Birthday, Potter!" _SLAM._

James winced as the door slammed shut, the noise reverberating around the room. "I didn't even _do _anything," he whined plaintively in Remus and Peter's direction.

"Shouldn't have told her, mate," Peter advised blearily. "It would have been better to let her figure it out on her own."

"Shut up, Petey." James scowled down at the mess before him. "Damn it all – I should have gotten it out of her, who did this."

"Check if anything's missing," Remus groaned, crawling back into bed and pressing his face into a pillow. "_Fen wet uth no._"

"What?"

Remus's head popped up, and he snapped, "Then let us know, idiot!" He and James both flinched at this. Peter had probably drunk the least of all four, and looked a little better than James felt. James sat back on his heels, chewing a lip.

"Damn."

"Where's Sirius?" Remus asked, looking a little pasty. "He should…" He stopped for a moment, then plunged ahead. "He should have gotten… er, he should have… would you excuse me for a moment?" He leapt to his feet – James marveled that he could – and raced into the bathroom, barely managing to slam the door shut behind him. Soon followed the unmistakable sounds of retching, which made James feel rather ill himself.

"So, apparently Lupin can't hold his liquor," a voice grumbled woozily from the doorway. Sirius leaned against the frame, his eyes red-rimmed with heavy shadows beneath them. "Whazzamatta with Janie?"

"Where were you all night?"

"Snuck back in this morning," Sirius told him, letting go of the doorframe long enough to stumble in before tripping over his own feet and landing in a heap in front of James's. "I passed out in the common room, I think," he told the floor. "And then she woke me up by slapping me across the face and saying we were through."

"Oh, good," James told his friend, who still lay nose-down on the floor. "Get up, will you? Someone's been through my stuff, Moony's puking his guts out, and Wormtail is oddly cheerful considering we're all hung-over and have to plan a day of pranks _right now _and somehow manage to give an excuse to Minnie once she finds us."

"Ugh." Sirius sat up, holding his head. "I think _I _might puke my guts out, too." James scooted back hastily. "Not on _you,_" Sirius snarled, annoyed, and then moaned and fell forward onto the carpet, one hand pressed to his forehead. "I wished Janie would come and hold my head for me," he moaned pitifully.

"Poor Padfoot, doesn't have his girlfriend to stroke his head while he's drunk."

"I'm not _drunk, _Wormtail!" Sirius growled. "I was drunk _last night._ By the way, you guys were morally obligated to keep me from wandering off with that brunette last night, and you didn't. You bad boys."

"I don't even _remember _you doing that," Remus moaned from the bathroom door, holding onto his stomach and looking even sicklier than was normal. "Who was she?"

"No idea," Sirius grunted from the floor. "And I've got more important things to worry about now…" He curled into a tight ball. "Screw tradition," he groaned. "I'm going back to bed."

James couldn't have agreed more.

X-X-X-X-X

Despite the notable absence for the second day in the row of four very conspicuous boys, and the rumors that they were a) dead, b) kidnapped, or c) drunk (Severus was willing to bet on answer c), Severus Snape found himself unusually apprehensive as he entered the Great Hall for lunch. He knew it had been James Potter's birthday (everyone did, with Janine Garnet and Jennifer King sulking yesterday that the boys hadn't taken them along on their little road trip or whatever it was). But oddly enough, nothing happened. Janine was scowling into her plate furiously while her friends shot her curious looks. Severus decided she was the best bet.

Once lunch was over, he hurried after her, tapped her on the shoulder, and asked her for a word. He noted that she attempted to fix a smile on her face as she leaned against a wall, tilting her head to indicate that she was listening, but it came across more as a grimace than a smile.

"Where are Potter and his friends?" Severus asked without preamble. Her face got sulky, and Severus quickly added, "I want to avoid whatever nonsense they have planned for the day, and I'd hoped that-"

"-I'd know? Ha." She scuffed her shoes against the floor. "They're all probably asleep, sleeping off the hangovers from last night. Stupid bastards," she added. Severus's eyebrows shot up as she continued, scowling at the floor sullenly. "He didn't even thank me for his present," she added despairingly.

Something in her tone caused Severus to frown. "You've _seen _them, you mean?"

"Sure. They're in the dormitory. This morning." Her eyes mirrored the distaste that Severus was beginning to feel. "Except Black. That stupid arse was having it off with some slag he picked up at a bar."

"Oh. Sorry." He wasn't.

"I don't care." Janine flipped her hair over one shoulder. "I'm over him."

Severus couldn't prevent his snort of cynicism. Her eyes flashed angrily at that. "Do your friends believe that?"

"It's _true!" _Severus waited, and she added crankily, "Although they don't know I've seen the boys yet."

"Ah." Severus leaned against a wall, too. "Why do you date Black? He's making your life a misery. You told me he makes you laugh, at New Year's." Severus frowned. "But it seems as if he makes you cry more than anything.

"I don't _cry _over boys, and certainly not _him!" _she burst out furiously. "I'm better than that!" Severus blinked. In his experience, a great number of girls like Janine cried when their boyfriends cheated on them. He didn't expect her to be any different. "Besides, I only wanted to date the best-looking boy in school," she snarled at the floor. "And I did, didn't I? Just proves I can get any guy I want. I got him, and I don't want him anymore. He's… he's not good enough for me!"

"Of course not," Severus agreed emotionlessly, figuring it best to agree with whatever she said.

"I mean, I could have practically any guy I want! I don't _need _him, do I? No, I don't!" she added without waiting for Severus to answer (not that he was going to, anyway). "I'm worth more than _Sirius effing Black!_ Aren't I?" she added desperately.

"Everybody's worth more than Black," Severus muttered.

"No, I mean, I'm _worth _it, right?" She looked upset. "Is there something wrong with me? Am I driving him away?" Severus really had no idea how to deal with an emotional Janine Garnet.

"How the hell should I know?" he demanded waspishly. What happened next startled him, though. Loudly, abruptly, she burst into loud sobs. Severus hastily stepped back. It was fortunate that the hall had already emptied out. This was _not _how this conversation was supposed to go.

"Oh, God, I _am _driving him away! I'm a terrible girlfriend, and a terrible friend, and-"

_I wonder if she's PMS-ing… _Severus wisely decided not to say that. "I'm sure you're not," he said awkwardly, and rather impatiently too. "I mean, not that I'd know, because I've never dated you and we're really more acquaintances than friends, but-"

His arms began to windmill as she flung her arms around his neck and pressed her lips firmly to his. He gave a muffled shout before allowing his arms to enclose around her uncomfortably – and then she pulled away and sniffled. "Sorry," she muttered. "I just… lose it, you know? I mean, he cheats on me all the time. I tell Lily that I don't care, and that I do it too, but I really _don't, _you know? Not anymore, anyway. I mean, I always figured Sirius was _worth _it, giving up all that fun I used to have with guys, and-"

"I thought you said Black _wasn't _worth it," Severus muttered, his pale skin flushing red. She wasn't supposed to _kiss _him and then go off about Black, was she?

Her eyes flashed again. "He _isn't _worth it! I thought you _understood _meSeverus!"

_God, _he thought. _Who **would** understand? You keep changing your mind._ "I do," he muttered quietly to the floor. "I mean, I don't, not really, but I'm trying to." He gave an exasperated sigh. "I'm sorry," he apologized finally, not sure what the _hell _he was apologizing for, but if she would stop crying, it would be worth it. "I'm sorry, okay? I didn't mean to make you cry." _Merlin, I'm getting sappy._

She gave him a wobbly smile and hiccupped softly. "Oh, I know you didn't. _You _care about me, don't you Severus?"

"Er-"

She twined her arms around his neck and leaned her head on his chest (he wondered vaguely if she was drunk) and sighed deeply. "Sirius is so awful to me," she murmured. "Bet you wouldn't treat a girl like that…"

"Look, I only wanted to know what Potter and his friends were planning so I could avoid it," Severus finally muttered in the direction of her hair. "I didn't chase after you to talk about _this._"

She pulled away abruptly and her eyes flashed _again._ "Oh, of course not. Never mind that I'm all emotional and upset and heartbroken and looking for a little sympathy… you're only worried about your own skinny little arse, aren't you?"

Severus could not deal with a crying Janine Garnet, but he _could _deal with an angry one. "Did you expect anything else? I'm a Slytherin?"

She cast him a sullen look and finally snapped, "Screw you!" She pulled from his arms entirely and stormed away; Severus watched her go and was not sorry at all to watch her stalk off.

Then he paused, thinking back to her words. _Wait… heartbroken?_

X-X-X-X-X

Janine slammed into their dormitory long after dinner had finished. "You skipped classes," Lily told her reprovingly. "You're getting as bad as those boys."

"Boys? _Boys!" _Lily blinked in surprise; Janine's eyes were red and she looked livid. _Perhaps that wasn't the best way to greet her, _Lily thought, but it was too late. "Don't compare me to those bloody boys! I'm not bloody _drunk _and _in bed _and _hung-over, _am I? Screw those boys, screw Sirius, screw Snape, screw classes, and screw you!" She stormed into the bathroom and slammed the door shut behind her.

Lily paused, unsure of what to say. She looked around at Jen, Alyssa, and Marlene, who all appeared perplexed. "No idea," Jen replied at once. "Somebody must have said something to her."

Lily wasn't listening to Jen, though; she was contemplating Janine's words. "She's seen them," she realized suddenly. "The boys. Sometime today – she's seen them. How else would she know that they're drunk and hung-over?"

"How can you be drunk and hung-over at the same time?" wondered Marlene aloud, but the others ignored her.

"Of course she's seen them," Alyssa replied. "She told me."

Nobody heard this, though, because Jen cut her off to speak. "She probably knows because anyone with half a brain would. Four boys, one birthday, skipping two days of classes, not found anywhere around the castle. Yep, bet they snuck out and got drunk off their arses and are regretting it now."

"Well, that's not going to do. I'm going to go tell them off so loudly the whole castle will hear." Lily's eyes flashed dangerously as they landed on James's red journal, sitting innocently on Lily's bedside table. "Besides, I have a few things to say to Potter."

"Come on, Lil, he's not going to take it kindly if you yell at him – I mean, have you ever been hung-over? It hurts to bloody talk, much less have somebody yell at you…" Jen trailed off at the look on Lily's face.

"If they were out drinking, it's their own bloody fault," Lily snarled in response. "I don't care if it was Potter's bloody birthday, I don't care if it was the Minister of Magic's bloody birthday. That is no excuse to skip school AND leave the grounds illegally."

"We have no proof," Jen reminded Lily from behind. "They might have just snuck Firewhisky in, or something, and used one of the lesser known classrooms-"

Lily whirled on her. "Oh, you know that's not true! Everybody _knows _that they were out drinking and-"

"Everybody doesn't know _for certain_, Lil," explained Jen calmly. "But I'll bet Janine does. And I'll also bet Janine's not going to let McGonagall know that _she _knows that, and you can't prove that Janine does. It's not like they'll use Veritaserum on her for something like this, Lil, and Janine's a convincing enough liar. No matter how angry she may be at the boys, she isn't going to rat them out. It's like, an unspoken rule of being a teenager. You don't snitch on others. So… there's really not much you can do."

Lily scowled at Jen, unaware that Janine was slinking towards the door, trying to sneak out.

"Face it, Lily." Marlene was stretched out on her bed, chewing thoughtfully on her quill as a long roll of parchment stretched out before her. "Jennie's right. What are you going to do about it? There's nothing you _can _do, not really."

"That's not true!" Lily snapped.

"Is so," Alyssa replied from where she was leaning out the window, the cold air blasting her in the face. "I mean, sure, you could go tell McGonagall you found them, but what's that going to accomplish? Sure, it might get them in detention for a few days, but the only people who know for certain that the boys ditched school and went off-grounds, are, well, them and probably Janine. Nobody else can prove it, and none of them are going to."

Lily ignored that, scowling. "I still ought to yell at them, or _at _least tell McGonagall." They turned as Janine appeared in the door of the bathroom, eyes even more red than before, her face clean of makeup, clad in a pair of yellow knickers that proclaimed in white letters: "I NICKED THESE KNICKERS FROM LONDON" and a pink t-shirt that screamed, "GIRLS RULES AND BOYS DROOL."

"God, Janie, that's really juvenile," Jen muttered. "Didn't your auntie get you that, thinking you were, I don't know… TWELVE?"

"Girls do rule, and boys do drool," Janine replied haughtily, and then gave a hearty sniff. "And don't you even get me started on those boys," she added in an irritated voice to Lily. "I may be irritated with them, and I may be finished with Sirius," ("Sure you are," grumbled Jen, and Janine shot her a very ugly look but continued on regardless), "but I'm not about to get Remus, James, and Peter in trouble," she replied, looking just as sulky. "_They're _my friends. They care about my tender feelings." Alyssa snorted.

"Really? I thought you chucked Potter's present at him because he was being an insensitive clod. That's what you told me during Transfiguration, anyway."

"Piss off, Comforts!" Janine snapped. Lily hummed slightly. She knew for certain she'd been in a grouchy mood all day, mostly due to James's idiocy and his damned journal or whatever it was, but Janine had been in an even worse mood. Lily often wondered if they all ought to just _kill _Sirius Black or Janine or _both _and just put the pair out of their misery.

"Oh, shut up, Janine, stop whinging. Why're you in such a cranky mood, anyway?"

"I'll have you know, _Evans, _that Sirius Black has cheated on me FOR THE LAST TIME-"

"Merlin, not that shit again. I love you, Janie, you're my best friend, but this is absolute _shit, _you're always in a tiff about him, so just shut up once and for all-"

"Look, Evans, why don't you just-"

"SHUT UP, Janine-"

"Right, so productive as this argument's been," Marlene interrupted, "I really _do _need help on my Charms essay, Fabian asked me to meet him in an old classroom to… er… study, in an hour, and even though it's the day after Potter's birthday, there have been no unfortunate accidents. So?"

"So what?" Lily asked blankly.

"So, what do we do? I mean, everyone's just _waiting. _All that nonsense about tradition and all that – maybe they skipped class to plan the prank to end all pranks."

"Or maybe," Janine began in a sarcastic voice, "they were so wasted last night that they're in awful condition this morning and couldn't bear to hear themselves speak because it made their heads hurt even _more. _And seeing as I'm the only one who's actually seen them in the last forty-eight hours or so…"

"Shut up, Janine! So we're going to their dormitory to grill them, and then we're off to McGonagall to tell on them," Lily said firmly. "Right?"

"Wrong. _You _can do that," Jen replied. "Marlene and I are doing our Charms essays."

"Er… Davy asked me to meet him in the library this afternoon," Alyssa said. Lily whirled on the last of her friends.

"All right, Garnet, you have permission to speak now, so long as you don't start whinging again. Are you coming with me?"

"No," Janine said sullenly. "I'm going to bed – screw all my homework – and I'm going to fall into a deep sleep and hopefully _never _wake up. And I'm not tattling on the boys, I already told you that, so you may as well lay off."

"We should at least let McGonagall know that they're _back,_" snapped Lily. "And drunk."

"Correction, Evans – they were drunk _last night. _They're just suffering the after-effects of it."

"Fine," Lily said huffily. "I'll go on my own, then. You guys are useless friends." She stalked out, leaving behind her four friends.

For no apparent reason, the girls had been snippy at one another lately. Lily had been in a consistent bad mood since yesterday; Janine since this morning. Marlene had been suspiciously grouchy when she'd returned from her "study session" with Fabian last night (though she was hopefully meeting him again to make up), Jen had been in an abnormally bad mood since Remus's birthday party, often snapping at her friends for no reason, and Alyssa had wisely decided to leave most of her friends alone.

As far as Lily was concerned, most of these problems stemmed from the boys – four boys in particular, although she couldn't _really _fault Peter, as he hadn't really done anything. (And technically speaking, Marlene's problems stemmed from Fabian, or so she would assume, anyway).

Nevertheless, Lily was going to give those boys a piece of her mind. Snatching up Potter's journal, she added to that though, _Man, is HE going to get it…_

X-X-X-X-X

James scrambled madly for his blanket the moment he felt it ripped away from him. "Hey!" he protested loudly, sitting up. He was feeling better – a little, anyway – although Remus's continual throwing-up hadn't been constructive towards his feeling better. _Right. Memo to self: Never let Moony do shots again._

He saw Lily Evans standing there, hands on her hips, red curls in disarray. And although she was smiling sweetly at him, her eyes flashed with undeniable anger. _Oh, great. What did I do **now**?_

_Hang on, that's right – I snuck out of school illegally and got pissed, and – shit, Janine didn't **tell **on us, did she? I'm never speaking to her again._

"H'lo, Lily," he said. He winced slightly as his voice slurred a bit, and made an effort to clear his mind. "Whatcha want?"

"Hello, James," she replied in a pleasant voice. She sat on the edge of his bed, cooing, "Are you feeling all right?"

Some of the anger seemed to have gone out of her. James blinked. _Am I dreaming? Yes, that's it. I'm dreaming._

_Although it kinda sucks that even in my dreams, I still feel like hurling. Aw, gross, I hope I don't puke all over Lily; she probably won't like that, although if this is a **dream**…_

"Er… s'pose so," he mumbled.

"Well, that's good," she declared, smiling triumphantly, her eyes glittering again. James stared at her, and registered somewhere in the back of his mind that the other boys were all staring at her in amazement.

It was turning out to be a halfway decent dream, at least until she whipped something from behind her and chucked it at James. It hit him in the nose and fell with a dull fwump into his lap, atop the covers. He yelped in pain and clutched his nose, which was surely broken and bleeding by now (this was James's overactive imagination, as it was doing neither of those things) and yelled, "Effing hell, Evans!" he roared. "What was that for?"

Her eyes narrowed dangerously. "If you weren't feeling bad before, I certainly hope you're feeling much worse now," she snapped. "I ought to _strangle _you."

James suddenly found that he wasn't in the mood to deal with another of Lily's temper tantrums. Couldn't she direct them at, say, Sirius, for a change?

Then he glanced down in his lap and blanched. A little red journal, one that was strikingly familiar to him.

_Oh, fuck._

"Ah… you found my homework planner," he tried lamely. No go.

"_Homework planner, _is it?" She snatched it out from under his nose – he made a mad grab for it and missed entirely – and read loudly, "_Subject does not like Quidditch very much. Got very irked when friends discussed upcoming match against Hufflepuff. Must resolve not to discuss Quidditch much when dating._" She stared up at him. James saw Sirius – who was evidently feeling none the worse for his busy night, judging by the gleeful expression on his face – stuff his fist into his mouth to stifle his laughter, only succeeding partially. Lily ignored him. "I don't suppose you would be writing about me, would you?"

"Er…"

James looked helplessly at Remus, who was again dashing for the bathroom, but not before shooting him a reproving look that seemed to say, _I-told-you-so._ "Thanks for your help, Moony," he muttered.

"Potter! Explain this, right now!" Lily had leapt up from his bed now; her fists were planted once more on her hips, and her green eyes sparkled with rage. Judging by the fact that James's glasses seemed to have broken slightly in his sleep (he'd never bothered to take them off), it was a bit difficult to see, but if he squinted just so, it rather looked like her entire head was on fire and/or sparkling with electricity, due to the way it was arranged wildly about her head.

James thought she looked absolutely beautiful, but he thought now wasn't the time to tell her so.

"Look," he tried reasonably, "I think you should be flattered." She gaped at him. "I mean, how many guys are going to pay that much attention to you? Come on, Lily." He gave her his most earnest look, going for the innocent and honest appearance. (Lily viewed it as more of a smirk than an earnest look, but she didn't tell him that). "I _adore _you. I always have." She scowled. "Who's going to give you that sort of attention, huh? Like I said – I _adore _you. I always have," he continued, and then added, lying just a bit, "And I probably always will, you know. I can't help it – I just wanted to get to know you better, that's all."

"I don't suppose," she replied in a dangerous tone, "you ever thought about just _speaking _to me, did you?"

"How could I?" he cried theatrically, amazed that he could even _act _this way when he was completely arsed. "You never let me near you!"

"That's because you chat me up every time you come by!" she shot. "Maybe if you didn't, I wouldn't find you such a complete arse!"

"I'm not an arse," he muttered woefully, "at least not a complete one. Come on, Lily." He tried for an earnest look again. "Aren't you the least bit flattered?"

Lily gave him a look as though she'd given up all hope. "You know, you didn't have to do this." She waved the book. "You could have sent me flowers or just written bad poetry to me, or something."

"I could have," he agreed, "but you usually throw aways my flowers. And the poetry wouldn't have been _bad." _He fought back a smirk as the corners of her mouth twitched upwards. "So do you forgive me?" he asked promptly, ignoring the fact that Peter was now snoring loudly while sitting up – he appeared to have gone to sleep, listening to Lily and James.

To his amazement, it actually looked like she might be considering this. "I might," she finally said grudgingly, looking surprised with herself for it.

James scrambled forward onto his knees, until he and Lily were more or less at eye level. "Tell you what," he said. "Forgive me, and I'll do anything for you."

Her eyebrows shot up. "Anything?"

When James was feeling better, he was probably going to regret it very much. "Anything," he promised solemnly.

"You really mean it. So, if I ask you to… oh, I don't know, snog Snape, you'll do it?"

James was beginning to regret it _now._ "If you really want me to," he mumbled, _knowing _he was going to regret this. _God, I hope she doesn't ask **that.** I think I'd have to kill myself afterwards. Ah, _he added thoughtfully, _the things I do for your affection, Lily Evans._

"Or if I ask you to go to class naked for a day and then offer to shag McGonagall when we walk into Transfiguration, you'll do it?" He heard Sirius snort from somewhere to his left.

"I guess." James was beginning to become uncomfortable. His option seemed to be slim her – Merlin forbid, what _was _she going to ask him to do?

"Or if I-"

"_Lily._" His face was pained, but he made the promise anyway. "I swear. I'll do _anything _you ask. Okay?"

"I'll hold you to that, then," she replied after a moment's thought. She looked irritated, still, but at least she didn't appear to be livid anymore. "And Potter, do me a favor." She tossed the book onto his bed and began to leave.

"Yes?"

She was almost out the door. "Burn that book, please."

X-X-X-X-X

So I'm really sorry for the delay, but as you've not doubt noticed, I'm abysmally lazy and should probably be shot for it, but hey, what are you gonna do. I should tell you all that I flipped out when I thought I wasn't getting any reviews, and then I went and checked the story and there were like twenty and I was like… "Huh?" I haven't been getting any info from in my inbox lately; like no notices about reviews or my favorites getting updated or anything. Does anybody else have that problem, or is it just me?

About this chapter – I know Snape was a little OOC, but I mean, how ELSE is he supposed to deal with a hysterical Janine Garnet? I tried to keep him true to his character, but I don't think I succeeded so well, so if I get really pissed at it later, I might go and alter than conversation a little, so that he seems a bit more… Snape-ish. And just to give you an interesting mental image – you know those knickers/panties/underwear Janine is wearing? I have a pear JUST LIKE THAT and I think they're so funny, but they're purple not yellow. And I so want a t-shirt like the one she has…

Okay, so I guess this was a kind of boring chapter – seems like most of them have been that way lately. I didn't elaborate on James's presents – sorry – and Lily didn't get quite as mad as you or I had hoped for, but now James owes her something and you KNOW that she's going to pick something good. I've already got the next chapter in the works, and it hopefully should be good – we get another Hogsmeade trip, some Lily-James time, another Sirius-Janine fight, and mention of Sirius's birthday, although probably not the birthday itself. James also agrees to give Lily lessons in _something _– or rather, he persuades her to take lessons from him – but I'm not telling you what they're for. You'll just have to wait and see!

In better news, I'm on spring break and should hopefully have TONS of time for writing… but we'll see. I'm so running out of ideas, so I just want to get sixth year FINISHED with because seventh year is when the good stuff happens – you know, when Peter begins to turn, Lily and James get together, and stuff happens… etc. Just so you know, I'm going to split this story up – after they graduate, once and for all, from Hogwarts, I'm going to start a new story – that is, the sequel to this one. I originally had a lot of plans for that so that it would become sort of AU-ish and then go into Harry's sixth and seventh year and I'd write those, but what with HBP coming out in July, I'm starting to think I WON'T do that. Which is a pity, because I had a really interesting female character planned for Harry to meet in his sixth year (well, I thought she was interesting, and before you ask, NO they wouldn't have started dating – my original plan was for them to HATE each other with a passion – and no, she also wouldn't go to Hogwarts and suddenly become Ms. Popularity so you needn't worry about that) but anyway, I don't think I'll do that. If and when I get to the end of this story – I mean the REAL end, when L+J die (Man, I'm sad just thinking about it) I'll tell you guys about said female character if you're still interested… you know, like in the final author's note or something. But first I have to decide if I want her to exist or not. If she doesn't it changes a LOT of things, but whatever…

Okay, I've written enough. I hope you guys liked this chapter, and keep watching for the next one! Love you - Peaches


	27. Confessions of a Feminist Aunt

Disclaimer: Characters and settings are property of J.K. Rowling. What you don't recognize is mine. And I _wish _I owned the Marauders (specifically Sirius and Remus) but most unfortunately, I do not.

Highlights of the last chapter: James and the boys learn the difference between being drunk and the _aftereffects _of being drunk (Oh my gosh, I SO wanted to use that quote from School of Rock but I couldn't fit it with the flow of the conversation), Janine and Sirius had another fight which seems to be even more long-lasting than the last, Snape sees a side of Janine that he hasn't seen before and doesn't really _want _to see (I'm talking about the hysterical side, folks), and as a result he gets some ACTION (Woohoo, go Snape!), everyone's in a pissy mood (and for the record, they're ALL still in bad moods in this chapter, with the exception of James and Lily – now there's a switch), Lily throws James's journal at his head, and he placates her using flattery and by making a deal that you KNOW he's going to regret but thus far hasn't had a reason to yet.

Author's note at the end, like always.

X-X-X-X-X

Sirius and Janine's fight lasted even longer than the last one had. The pair of them just couldn't seem to overcome Sirius's little tryst with the brunette from the bar.

James was too busy agonizing over what Lily would make him do to worry about that, though. It had been almost three weeks since his birthday – he'd finally gotten around to opening his gifts, to discover he had gotten so many gifts from Zonko's that he could probably open his _own _Zonko's, if he could have been bothered.

Most of the presents were satisfactory, with the exception of Sirius's – his best friend had given him a pair of toy antlers attached to a headband and a bright red clown nose, proclaiming him to be 'Rudolph,' to which he replied…

"Who the hell is _Rudolph?"_

"Oh, Remus told me about him. Interesting bloke, that Rudolph. You wouldn't believe half the stuff he's done…"

Fortunately, McGonagall never managed to find out about their outing – rather, she simply assumed they were skipping class to goof off, and had given them all two weeks of detention, which has passed rather quickly, at least for James.

In any case, Lily hadn't bothered to ask anything of him – in fact, she hadn't bothered to speak to him at all, save this morning.

"Oy, Potter." Lily approached him at the breakfast table, sitting down smartly across from him. "Janine's auntie is going to meet us Hogsmeade tomorrow. So cancel whatever date you've got, because we've got some detective work to do."

She then proceeded to turn away from him, talking to Alyssa, the only other girl in the vicinity, as the others were further off down the table, talking to some other Gryffindors. James wished very much that he could interrupt Alyssa and Lily's conversation to talk to her – maybe he could persuade her to have a Butterbeer with him before they met Janine's aunt – but Lily would not take it kindly if he interrupted her discussion, and besides, Sirius was waxing on enthusiastically about 'gumboots and private ears.'

"First off," Remus finally interrupted in a voice of annoyance – he'd been cranky since the full moon a few days before – "They're _gumshoes _and private _eyes._ Secondly, it's not just James, you know. You're going to have to break off your date, too."

"Dates, you mean," Peter corrected. "As in, plural."

"What, Wormtail, are you keeping tabs on my love life?" Sirius demanded nastily. Sirius, too, had been cranky as of late – well, since James's birthday, actually. "Can't get a date of your own, so you spend your time analyzing mine? And anyway," he added arrogantly, "what's the big deal? So I'm meeting up with a few girls – so what? It's not like I've got a _girlfriend _to take on a real date." He shot an angry look down further down the table, where Janine was steadfastly ignoring him and chatting with Benedict Rennet. "Rennet is such a traitor. What sort of friend is he?"

"Well, for starters, he's not really your friend," James admitted pointedly. "We all just happen to be on the same Quidditch team. And anyway, what makes you think he's chatting her up? Maybe they're just talking about the Hawkshead Attack Formation." At this point, Janine leaned over and rather flirtatiously ran her hand over her Benedict's bicep. "Oh. Well, maybe he _is _chatting her up."

"Looks the other way around to me," Peter mumbled.

"Traitor," Sirius intoned irritably.

"He's a real Benedict Arnold, all right," Remus muttered under his breath. Peter snorted into his milk at this, and to James's surprise, Lily happened to turn her head at this point and giggle. James blinked.

"I don't get it," Sirius and James said in unison. James glanced at Alyssa; she, too, looked confused.

"What's so funny?" she wanted to know.

"Forget it," Lily said, covering her mouth with a hand, her eyes dancing with laughter. "Just a bit of Muggle humor, that's all." She exchanged glances with Peter and began to laugh again, and Remus attempted a half-hearted smile. James felt a bit put out – how come she never laughed like that at _his _jokes? And for Merlin's sake, Moony was _cranky _and he wasn't even trying to be funny, and Lily still laughed. Life was so unfair.

After what seemed like ages (but was really about fifteen seconds), Lily stopped laughing just as Janine left her seat and squeezed into one across from him, between Lily and Remus (Remus shot her a disgruntled look when she pushed him over and snagged a roll from his plate). "Did Lily tell you?" she asked out of the corner of her mouth, her eyes flickering now and then to other tables.

"Relax, Janie, I doubt anybody would flip out of if your aunt met us in Hogs-mmph!" James scowled at Janine as her hand came down hard on his mouth, and then flicked his tongue out to touch her palm. With a screech of disgust that attracted the attention of those nearby, she hissed, "Potter, that's _disgusting! _You _licked _me!"

"Whatever works," he replied unsympathetically. He glanced around; everybody had already returned back to his or her breakfast. He ignored the fact that Sirius was now glaring at Janine, and Janine was alternating between glaring back and fixing her eyes on James's face.

"So? Are you coming, or what?"

"Well-"

"He doesn't have a _choice, _Janine," Lily interrupted impatiently. "We're in this one together. Still… don't go around talking about it too much, all right? And we can't all wander around Hogsmeade in a group; it will look unusual."

"Why? It's not like anybody's going to care if we're going to meet her, and we're all Gryffindors, we're all friends-" Alyssa paused, and glanced at Janine and Sirius, who were again scowling at one another, "-well, most of us are," she continued hastily, "so…?"

"Use your brains, Alyssa," Janine snapped. "My auntie is a _Quidditch _player. She's practically famous. If we go around shooting our mouths off about our meeting with her, everyone's going to know and want an autograph, and we'll never get to talk to her. Besides, if one of the teachers finds out we're investigating this…"

"I don't see why the teachers would care," Peter finally said. "I mean, so what, we're a little curious, we-"

"Pete, you know teachers," James replied reasonably. "They think we all ought to stay out of 'grown-up business' and keep our noses clean. Nonsense. As if it's not my right to know."

"We have no idea what the details of this are, remember?" Lily shrugged. "They could be bad details. Anyway, judging by the letter we read, it's not something that's talked about often – Janine's mum kept stressing the need for _never _telling anyone."

"Then it stands to reason she might not have told her own sister," pointed out Jen morosely. "And this might be for nothing."

"That's possible," agreed Remus; Jen glanced away sullenly as he spoke. He watched her for a few moments, perplexed and not a little irritated at her behavior, and then returned his eyes to the group at large. "But we could be wrong. Sisters tend to tell each other things. Don't they?" he added, looking at Alyssa. "You have an older sister, right? Didn't she ever telling you anything?"

Alyssa looked thoughtful. "Well, Brianna and I are about four years apart," she finally said. "And suffice to say she thought I was annoying, always butting in whenever she was with her boyfriends…" She shot a grin at Janine suddenly. "She was particularly irritable whenever I caught her and Jeff snogging." Janine snorted into her breakfast potatoes at this (actually, they were Remus's, but never mind), while Alyssa continued. "Anyway, she always thought I was too young to tell me things. Of course, it's changed now."

"Changed? How?" James leaned closer curiously. He'd never had a sibling, much less a sister. Sirius and Janine were really the closest things he'd had.

"Well, I'm sixteen now," replied Alyssa confidently. "Since I was about fourteen, she started talking to me, and she talks to me even more now. About everything, really."

"There, you've proven my point," Remus proclaimed, satisfied, but Janine had also leaned forward, demanding, "What does she say about Jeff?"

"That he has a cute arse." Janine pulled a horrified face at this bit of news. "Well, he does," replied Alyssa fairly. "I mean, you're his sister, right? Surely you've seen it."

"Ew! Alyssa, that's so wrong on… so, so, _so _many levels."

"Well! He does have a cute arse you know, but never mind. Oh, and she also says that he's a very good snogger."

"God, I hope you don't expect me to tell him any of this. He has a big enough head as it is."

"Yes," Lily agreed, standing up and slinging her bag over her shoulder. "From what I've seen so far, that seems to be a common affliction among the Garnets." She wisely ducked out of the hall before Janine could think of something particularly nasty to shoot back. James hesitated only a moment, and then raced after her, leaving his breakfast only partially finished. From the corner of his eye, he saw Sirius dig into his meal, and rolled his eyes, running to catch up with Lily.

X-X-X-X-X

"Hey – Lily! Lily!" Lily turned in surprise, and saw James panting as he finally caught up with her.

"You're an awfully fast runner for someone who supposedly isn't into sports," he huffed. "Did you know that?"

"If I didn't before, I do now," she replied, her face puzzled. "What can I do for you, Potter?"

_You can do a lot of things for me, _James thought, _but I think I'll get slapped if I mention most of them aloud._ "That was pretty funny, what you said to Janine back there," he finally said, unsure of how to start. "I never would have thought of it."

She smiled, briefly. "No, I suppose you wouldn't," she remarked dryly. _What does that mean? _"So did you chase me down here to tell me that, or was there something else?"

"Um… yeah, there was something else, actually. Just curious," James explained. He was really delaying for time, not wanting to broach the subject he'd _really _approached her for. "But what did you tell Janine's aunt to get her to meet us? Or, more specifically, us _guys? _Mean, I know she's like a huge feminist, or something – I heard she concussed her husband when he proposed-"

"Oh, she did," Lily said offhandedly, and then said, "Well, I didn't really tell her that _we'd _be meeting her – more like us _girls _would be. She'll be surprised to see you guys, but I'm sure she'll get over it." _I hope, _Lily added silently.

"So what did you tell her, then?"

Lily grinned wolfishly, and James stepped back. It was not a look he was accustomed to seeing on her face, and he was grateful when it soon faded into a simple smirk, an expression he _was _used to. "I told her that we were having boy trouble."

"You're not, are you? Because, if you are, I could help you out or something-"

"Believe me, Potter," she told him dryly, "if I were having boy trouble, you'd be the last person I'd come to, particularly seeing as any boy trouble I have generally is synonymous with _James Potter _trouble."

_Now what's **that** supposed to mean? _James wondered, and he shook his head to clear it. "Walk you to class?" he offered.

Her eyes narrowed. "Potter, we've been over-"

"As friends," he explained hastily. "And there's something I wanted to ask you, too."

"You could ask me right here."

"Yes, but-" He saw a group of Ravenclaws headed their way, chatting animatedly. "I'd rather do it in private, if you don't mind."

He could see that she was intrigued. "All right, then." Instead of walking to class, though, she caught his arm and dragged him up to the next floor, before going into an empty classroom and whirling to face him. "Talk," she ordered.

"Er…" _This **so **was not what I had in mind… _"When are you going to make me pay?"

She looked puzzled. "Pay? You don't owe me money…"

"Not _that _sort of pay," he interrupted impatiently. "You know – for the whole journal thing." He saw realization dawn on her face.

"Oh, _that._ Right. Well…" She tapped her mouth thoughtfully with a finger, and James felt his gaze drawn to it. "How about never asking me out again? Oh, no, that's no good… mm…" She sighed. "Well, you've put me in a fix, Potter. I can't think if anything."

"I could do your homework," he suggested, thinking that wouldn't be _too _awful.

"Potter!" she cried in surprise. "I'm a prefect! I can't let you do my _homework, _that would be cheating!"

"Oh, right." _Moony's done my homework for me before, though… hmm… maybe it's a just a girl thing? No, couldn't be, Janine begs me to do her Transfiguration homework all the time…_ "Er… how about I tutor you in something?"

"Like I _need _tutoring," she retorted. "I mean, really, Potter, what would you tutor me in? _Flying?"_

"Why, can't you fly?"

"Not to save my life. I hate flying."

James snapped his fingers. "Well, that's it!"

"What is?"

"I can teach you to fly!" He saw the surprise on her face, and plowed ahead eagerly. "Honestly, Lily, you have no idea! It's the funnest thing ever!"

"Funnest isn't a word, Potter. You're supposed to say 'most fun.' And no, I'm not going to have you to teach me to fly. First of all, I don't think that's adequate payment for writing all that nonsense about me in your _diary,_ and secondly, I already told you. I don't like flying."

"I bet you would, if you had a good teacher!"

"I don't _want _to! And even if I did, I'd get Janine to teach me! She's just as good a flyer as you are-"

James scoffed. "Rubbish! I'm the best and everybody knows it!"

"Potter…" she sighed, exasperated. "I really _don't _like flying, and I would rather not use up that favor you owe me by having you teach me to do something I wouldn't like."

"Well, how about this?" he went on excitedly. "I'll teach you to fly for _free, _and I'll still owe you something!"

"No, that's really quite all right." She started towards the door. James frowned thoughtfully. If he could get her to allow him to teach her, it would certainly put him in her good graces – he hoped – and it would give him some alone time with her.

And he knew the perfect tactic to get someone like her to agree – and when he said someone like her, he really meant: _Gryffindor._ "Well, if you're too scared…"

Predictably, she whirled, dropping her bag, eyes flashing. "I'm _not _scared! I just – I just don't like flying, that's all!"

"Why?" he goaded. "Are you scared of heights? I mean, it's all right if you are, Lily, loads of people are, I mean, not in Gryffindor of course, home of the brave and all that…" He fought to keep from grinning as she pulled herself up to her full height (5'3" or 5'4", he'd guess) and stormed up to him, scowling fiercely.

"Potter. Hear me. I. Am. Not. SCARED!"

"Well, then why won't you let me teach you?" She scowled even more deeply. "Admit it, Lily," he said in the smuggest tone he could. "You're scared."

She was practically spitting fire at him now. "Tomorrow night. Quidditch pitch, ten o'clock at night, and _don't _get caught sneaking out," she snapped. "I'll see you then."

"Great," he said happily. He watched her storm off. It was worth having her angry with him _now _for the chance of seeing her later. "See you."

X-X-X-X-X

One thing Remus noticed the next morning was that James, who was decidedly _not _a morning person unless there was an early-morning Quidditch practice, was in an obnoxiously cheerful mood. Remus was still a little sore from the full moon five days ago, as it had been particularly bad (he and Sirius had been romping and Sirius had been oddly aggressive, possibly due to his and Janine's ongoing tiff, and Remus had woken up several bruises the size of his hand and Madam Pomfrey exclaiming, "Mr. Lupin! What did you _do _last night?") and thus he was decidedly _uncheerful _and not in the mood to deal with James's cheerfulness.

"Prongs, you sodding prat, shut the bloody hell up!" Remus bellowed, banging on the bathroom door as James's off-key voice floated from the showers. "You're giving me a bloody migraine!"

He turned to face Sirius, who was sulkily buttoning up his trousers. "I don't want to," he mumbled sullenly. "Don't want to meet Janine's bloody aunt, don't want to go to bloody Hogsmeade with you bloody lot, don't want to cancel my bloody date with Noelle…"

"Cheer up, Pads, there'll be other dates," Peter offered sympathetically. He was on his knees, reaching as far under Sirius's bed as his stubby arms would allow, before pulling back with an exasperated look. "No go," he finally grunted. "I can't find it. Sorry, mate."

"Oh, move!" Sirius growled, dropping to his knees and pulling out a green sweater. He brushed the dust off and crinkled his nose. "Ye Gods, this smells disgusting." He thrust it in Remus's nose. "Smell it, Moony."

Remus coughed and backed away. "How long has that been _under _there?"

Sirius was about to reply when James burst out of the bathroom, a towel loosely knotted about his waist, bellowing, "TOMORROW! TOMORROW! I LOVE YA, TOMORROW! YOU'RE ONLY A DAY AWAAAAYYYY!"

Sirius flung the jumper at James in a manner that it ended up twined about his head for a moment, before dropping to his feet. James wrinkled his nose in disgust. "Eww, Padfoot, that's disgusting."

To which Sirius replied with some very rude words, all said under his breath. James heard them anyway and blinked in surprise. "What crawled up your arse and died, eh?"

"James, shut up." Remus rubbed his head. "Why are you in such a bloody good mood, anyway? Get laid last night?" he asked sarcastically.

"Give me a break," Sirius retorted. "Wanking off in a closet does not count as 'getting laid.'" James blinked around at all of them now.

"Merlin's beard," he said, looking bewildered, "You really _are _in a bad mood, aren't you? All of you. Well, not you, Pete," James replied. He seemed unaware that his towel was slipping, affording Remus a look he _really _didn't want. "Peter, you're my honorary best friend for the day!"

"Oh. Er… what does that make me the rest of the time?"

"Well, it makes you-"

"James!" Remus snapped. "Either pull that bloody towel up or put on some pants!" James flushed, looking embarrassed, and yanked his towel back into position.

"I can't find my trousers," he admitted. "Will you help me?"

"No. Walk out in your bloody towel for all I care," snapped Remus. "Come on, Sirius." The pair stalked out, Remus muttering all the way. "Why in Merlin's name is he so damn cheerful, anyway?"

"Why are you so damn cranky?" retorted Sirius.

"Well, gee, I don't _know, _if someone hadn't been so damn _rough _five nights ago-"

"Well, that's kinky," interrupted a new voice. Both Remus and Sirius turned to scowl at Jennifer King, who was halfway down the stairs from her own dormitory. "I didn't know you swung that way." She pursed her lips. "Which would explain a lot of things."

"Piss off," Sirius said, just as Remus demanded, "What _things?"_

"Oh, I don't know, like how you've been avoiding me since we-"

"_I've _been avoiding you? You're the one who won't bloody talk to me!" Her eyes flashed.

"Oh, what, you mean you've _noticed? _Look, Lupin, you can't toy around with someone's emotions like that! Either you break up with her or forget about me!"

Remus didn't even notice that Sirius had moodily slunk away as he snapped back, "Look, you're the one that kissed _me! _It's not my bloody fault you have no self-restraint!"

"You arrogant, self-obsessed, egotistical-"

"Sorry," Remus shot back, "but it doesn't due to confuse me with _Sirius, _Jen!"

"I'm so _sick _of you! You know, I've mooned over you for years, and just because I had the courage to finally do something about it – and you know something, it wasn't _all _me! You kissed me back!"

"Listen, you-"

"Hey, do you mind?" Jen's tone shut him up for a moment, and then she blinked in surprise, muttering, "Er… this isn't what it sounds like," although she looked furious and not in the mood to be interrupted. Remus heard a sniffling behind him, and dreading it, turned.

Oh, it _figured _that Alexia would walk up just then. She sniffled, her eyes watery. "You… what do you mean you… you were kissing? Have you… were… you were… you've been cheating on me, Remus?" she sniffled. "I mean… why? Am… am I not good enough…?"

"Oh, piss off," snapped Jen suddenly. "What are you, some bloody sort of Hufflepuff? Why are you even _in _Gryffindor, anyway?" she continued in a waspish voice. "You haven't really got an ounce of bravery, do you? Just – just go away!"

Alexia fled, to Remus's surprise. He whirled on Jen. "That was awful! You should apologize to her-"

"_You're _the one who broke her heart; _you _go fix it!" She pushed past him and stomped downstairs. Remus watched her go, fuming.

It had already started off as an awful day.

X-X-X-X-X

James walked down the streets, whistling cheerily. His friends were in a cranky mood, so he'd left them to it. Not to mention half the house had heard Jen and Remus's shouting match in the staircase, and gossip was flying around everywhere. In their group of friends, insults were flying instead.

As a result, James decided to head to this meeting on his own, and was not the least surprised to find that most of the others had separated as well, either to sulk or to get away from their sulking friends. He didn't blame the latter group, which more or less consisted of him. (Well, Lily wasn't particularly cranky, was she? And Peter was only cranky because everyone else was cranky. And he hadn't seen Alyssa all morning…)

"Hey, Potter!" James turned, and saw a curly-haired fifth year – Joanne Gainsborough, he remembered, that girl who didn't like Janine much – run after him. "Lily Evans was looking for you by Gladrags," she informed him, and then fixed him with a dirty look. "And just so you know," she continued in a conversational tone, "your mate Lupin's a real jerk, you know. Alexia wouldn't even come to Hogsmeade today – she's in the bathroom, crying her eyes out."

James blinked for a moment. "Well, that sucks," he finally said, "but I'm sure she'll get over it. I mean, it's not like they were _married, _or anything."

"Well, he certainly hurt her feelings."

James shrugged. "I'll tell him that, if you like."

"I doubt it would do much good."

"Then why tell me?"

"I just thought you should know." She shrugged and stuck her hands in her coat pocket. "So, is it true? Janine Garnet and Sirius Black are really broken up – for good?"

James shrugged again. "It seems that way. I doubt it'll last, though, it never does."

"It certainly seems to be, this time. It's been three weeks, hasn't it?"

"I guess," James replied dubiously. "Why?"

"Just wondering," she responded evasively. "Anyway, you'd better go find Lily. See you." She waved to someone behind him, and ran off after them. James watched her go, and shrugged. Jo was a strange character, to be sure. And anyway, what did she have against Janine?

Well, all right, he supposed Janine _was _a bitch to anyone who wasn't her friend, but really, she wasn't so awful a person – if you looked past the snobbishness, the general sense of looking down on everyone else, the way she went from boy to boy, the way she seemed to think the world should bend to her will…

_Hang on, I think Jo might actually have the right of it. _He blinked. Then… _Am I like that?_

_Maybe not anymore, but was I before?_

Hmm… 

James turned and headed off down the street towards Gladrags. He found Lily there, examining a floaty sort of pink skirt that would clash horribly with her hair. He decided to tell her so. "If you bought that, it would look awful with your hair. Besides, it reminds me a bit of this hideous birthday cake my mum made me for my seventh birthday, when she wanted to prove that she could do anything a house-elf could do."

"Oh, I know," she said absently.

"Er… you do?"

She suddenly snapped to attention. "About the skirt being hideous, I mean. And clashing with my hair. No, I was thinking about buying it for my sister's birthday. It's coming up this month, you see."

"Er… did I mention that it was hideous?"

"The skirt? Well, yes, you did, and I completely agree." She smirked. "Which is precisely why I think I'll get it. Besides, if I tell Petunia it came from the magical world, she'll probably scream."

"…Petunia's your sister, yeah?" She nodded. "Why would you want to make her scream?"

She gave him an incredulous look. "Because it's funny, that's why. What sort of quest- oh. Potter, I forgot. You don't know about my sister."

"What's to know?"

Lily shrugged. "Well, for starters, she hates me. Thinks I'm a freak and all that, is always teasing me in this high, screechy sort of voice." Lily pursed her lips. "Mum keeps telling me it's because Petunia's a bit jealous of me, and Janine says that it's because I'm smarter prettier than she is. Not that it's difficult, or anything – Petunia looks a bit like a horse, you know? Acts a bit like one sometimes, too…" James snorted; Lily reddened. "Oh, that's such a terrible thing for me to say. She is my sister, after all-"

James cocked his head. "Why does she think you're a freak?"

"Because I'm a witch. Magical, and all that. I suppose it creeps her out, and though I've never admitted it before, I do believe that the reason she's so angry about it is because she doesn't have it. Besides, Mum and Dad love anything magical, so on their birthdays, they do then to pay a bit more attention to my presents than they do to hers." Lily said it as though it were a simple fact, without arrogance or irritation or even smugness. Lily sighed. "Anyway, I've got to get Petunia a present, and she gave me the most awful thing for my birthday last year, so I thought to return the favor… although really, if I bought this, it wouldn't be such a bad present… the skirt's just ugly, that's all. She'd probably only take it as another thing to insult about me – atrocious fashion sense, on top of all the freakishness."

"What did your sister get you?"

"Two books. One on witch burnings, and the other a written memoir of a monk who despised witches and believed they should all rot in hell, or something to that effect. I read them – and well, the first one was rather informative, but the second one was rubbish so I binned it." Lily looked thoughtful. "No, I don't think this skirt would quite compete with that."

"Well, I suppose if it looks awful on you, it stands to reason that it would look awful on your sister too, right?"

"Oh, no. Petunia and I look nothing alike." Lily shrugged. "She's taller, thinner, got straighter hair, and she'd blond. Oh, and she has blue eyes, too, just like Mum's but a bit more watered down." Lily sighed. "Crikey, I wish I had blue eyes."

James stared at her in surprise, not just because she's said 'Crikey' and it was such an un-Lily-like thing to say, but also because of what she'd actually _said. _"Why?"

"Mine are so ugly, that's why! I mean, really, bright green eyes – Dad has green eyes too, but they're not so bright. And mine mess up all my clothes, you know – everything either clashes with my hair, my eyes, or both!" Lily sighed. "I wish I were blond, too." She pursed her lips. "Or a brunette, like Janine. She has the most lovely hair, you know?"

James looked mutinous. "I think you're prettier than Janine is."

"Well, you're on crack, then."

"Crack?"

"Never mind."

"I still think you're prettier."

"Well, you're the only one who does, then," Lily replied with a shrug. Again, it was simply a statement of fact. "I still wish I looked like her, though. You know, I can never do anything with my hair because it's so curly? And so _red, _too. Yuck."

"I like your hair," James replied honestly. "I think you've got beautiful hair, and I think your eyes are the prettiest I've ever seen."

Lily gave him a half-surprise, half-amused look. "Well, thanks, Potter. I appreciate the flattery."

"It's not flattery; it's truth. You know, I bet if you asked anyone, they'd say you have the prettiest eyes," he persisted when she rolled her eyes. "Really! I've heard Janine say how jealous she is of your eyes, I swear. Go ask her."

"Well I would, if she weren't in such a cranky mood." Lily sighed. "I think we ought to kill Sirius, or Janine." She paused. "Maybe both."

"Definitely," James agreed. "Oh, and about your sister?"

"Hmm?"

"You're not a freak, Lily, and if you really want to give her a good birthday present, I suggest going to Honeydukes and getting the acid pops, or maybe the blood ones – or how about some cockroach cluster? Does she like peanuts? Because Sirius once convinced my mum that they were peanuts, and she ate a bit and then got furious when we told her what it was…"

Lily shot him an amused smile. "Maybe I should come to you whenever I have to get Petunia something, then. But no; I really do want to be a good sister, you know." She sighed. "It's just a bit sad that Petunia and I don't get on well anymore. We used to, very well, when were younger – up until I was about ten, anyway, and all the weird things that I did when I was little started to happen a lot more often." She sighed. "And then I came to Hogwarts, and, well… things haven't been the same since."

"Oh," James said awkwardly. "Well… that's too bad." Lily shrugged.

"It doesn't bother me so much, not anymore. Anyway," she added, smiling slightly, "we would've gotten distant, anyway, what with me getting such great friends here. They may as well be my sisters, the way I tell them everything."

"I never even knew you had a sister," James muttered.

"Well, you know now, don't you?" She glanced at her watch. "Goodness, we're going to be late if we don't hurry! Come on, then." She brushed her curls from her face. "This is going to be interesting."

X-X-X-X-X

Well, it certainly _was _interesting, James had to admit that. He'd entered the Hog's Head – what had Lily picked this place for – only to hear, "I thought you said you were having _boy _trouble!"

"Not exactly, Auntie," Janine tried placatingly, although she shot a disgruntled look in Sirius's direction. (James felt that this did not help their case any). "This is James," she added quickly. "Do you remember James?"

"Sure," Gwendolyn Morgan replied grudgingly, adding, "Katy's boy. Sure. I remember him."

James gulped and slid into a seat as far from her as possible. "The rest of them are… well, you know Alyssa and Jen," Janine continued, looking as though she were in a better mood than she'd been lately, "and this is Lily and Marlene. Oh – and Peter, Remus, and… er… Black."

"Black?" Janine's aunt's eyebrows shot up. "That's an interesting name."

"It's Sirius Black," bit out Sirius, "and I'm her _boyfriend._"

James thought it very wise that Janine's aunt decided not to comment on the unlikelihood of that. "So… this isn't about boy trouble, then," she began.

"No," Lily said. "We just had a few questions."

"Well, good! Because if you need boy trouble, I'm not the person to come to. After all," she added with a roll of her eyes, "I'm married to Rudolf Brand, aren't I?"

"Yes," agreed Jen with a grin, "and you only married him after you concussed him for proposing marriage."

"Yes, I did," she admitted, looking a bit embarrassed. "Well – he did do it in front of all those people, didn't he? Besides, I didn't want people thinking that he'd thrown the game because… er… well, we hadn't even been dating! I didn't even _know _him!"

"I notice that you still married him about a year later, though," Alyssa replied with a sly smile.

"Anyway," interrupted Lily, "we had a few questions."

"And these _boys_ had to be present for it?"

"It involves all of us," Marlene told her earnestly. "Um, sort of, anyway."

"Questions," she said quietly. "What _sort _of questions."

"About my mum, actually," Janine muttered, examining her fingernails.

"Ones you couldn't ask Meg, eh? Well, fire away."

"Aunt Gwynnie," Janine finally said, "d'you know somebody my mum used to date… somebody named Tom?"

_Well, we must've touched a nerve, _James though, as Janine's aunt knocked over her bottle of Firewhisky. Fortunately, Lily was quick thinking and managed to stop its descent with a quick _Impedimenta _spell.

"I don't know anybody by that name," she replied stiffly, taking a long draught from her bottle as Lily handed it back to her. Nobody said anything for a moment, and she added with a sigh, "Or if I ever did, I've forgotten it, and I'd advise you too as well."

"Auntie…" Janine scooted her chair a bit closer. "Auntie, I've really got to know. Mum's left a few odd things slip. D'you remember that attack on Diagon Alley?"

"Yes," her aunt muttered.

"Well, Mum mentioned something about Tom then," she explained.

"And when Hogsmeade was attacked," added James, "Dumbledore mentioned a Tom, too."

"We did some research," finished Lily. "Here." She slid a book – a _yearbook _– over towards Gwendolyn. "Class of 1994, Tom Riddle. What do you know about him?"

She massaged her temples for a moment, before saying quietly, "He was a third year when she was first. They were in different houses, but since she was a Ravenclaw, it was all right. It certainly wasn't unheard of for a Ravenclaw and a Slytherin to date."

To James's amazement, Lily had a quill and a parchment out, and was taking _notes._ "What was he like?" she asked curiously.

"Well, I was a bit younger than Meg, you know that, right?" Lily nodded. "The first time I saw this Tom fellow was my first year. He was… sixteen, I think, and quite impressive. Tall, dark, and fairly handsome. He had his fair share of admirers, let me tell you. He was frightfully intelligent, and athletic enough, though he was no great shakes as Quidditch. He was the Keeper of his team fifth and sixth year, I heard, but he quit seventh year when he became Head Boy. It wasn't such a great loss, because, like I said – he was no great shakes at it.

"Anyway, he was awfully polite to me – I first _met _him when he was giving Meg a flower in the courtyard. They weren't officially dating, not until she was a fifth year, but something about him… unnerved me. The first time I met him, like I said, he was awfully polite, but he was always so… withdrawn, and quiet. Don't get me wrong, he was quite the leader and had his own little group of followers, Meg included, naturally, though she was one of the few Ravenclaws."

"When did he start… er… changing?"

Janine's aunt turned sharp eyes on Lily. "Now see here, young lady, there's something about that question I don't like. How much exactly _do _you know about Tom, anyway?"

"I know that he pushed Mum down the stairs and she broke her collarbone, although that's not what she told everyone else," Janine replied firmly.

"Your mother told you about that?"

"No! I just… I just know. Aunt Gwynnie, is he You-Know-Who?" she demanded. "Tom, I mean. Is he?"

"Now, that's ridiculous, love." Her aunt sat back. "Let me finish the story. So you know he was… er… rather violent, yes? I suppose it came from an unstable childhood. Meg told me his father left him before he was even born, and his mum died young. Anyway, with the help of Will – your father," she said to Janine, "and Eddy and Katy, she began drawing away from him, especially over the rest of that year. He graduated, and they went into the summer – and then he left. Went to Albania, Meg told me. Well, he sent her letters, and she wrote back, but eventually, she sent him this letter, and the way she told it, she really gave him what-for and that sort of thing. I reckon Will, Eddy, and Katy – I'm certain they were the only ones who knew about him at that point – helped her with it. He never wrote back."

"What happened then?" Lily asked breathlessly.

"Well, about ten years or so after that, Meg finally got a letter, but not from him. From some old witch there, said she was his landlady, and that a certain young man named Thomas had up and died on her. Said he was dabbling in all sort of experiments, and that he finally got himself killed, but before his final one, he'd asked that she tell a girl named Meg Morgan about it – though, of course, she was Meg Garnet by then – and send her a letter he'd written just before his final experiment."

"And the letter?" Remus asked suddenly. He'd been quiet during the whole meeting, but now he spoke up. "What happened to the letter? Where is it? What did it say?"

Janine's aunt fixed him with a firm look. "I've no idea, and that's the truth of it. Meg never showed it to me, and she told me she burned it." She looked at her hands. "But I don't believe that for a moment." She sighed and leaned forward. "But about him being this Dark Lord – well, that's just silly. Tom died years ago." She pursed her lips. "Before you all were born, in fact. 1956, the year was. I still remember it."

"Thanks, Ms. Morgan – or Mrs. Brand, do you prefer that?"

"God, no. Ms. Morgan will suit me fine, if you insist on being polite about it."

"Ms. Morgan, then," Lily said, and she leaned forward. "Now, you told us a lot about what Tom was like and all that – but what happened after he… er… changed? What did he seem like?"

She frowned for a moment. "He didn't seem much different on the outside," she replied slowly, "but he was a bit scary, to tell you the truth, his seventh year. I mean, the only evidence I ever had of him changing was years later, when Meg told me how violent he was. But outside… well, he was… he seemed so… _powerful, _really. Full of presence and all that. It's no wonder he made Head Boy. Of course, he had the smarts to go with it. I saw him in the library in the library quite often, reading books. And I'm certain I saw him sneaking into the Restricted Section, more than once. I never thought much of it, but… well, like I said, he was always reading, and that sort of thing. Taking lots of notes in these notebooks of his – and he almost always had one around."

"Anything else?"

"Don't rush me, now." She pursed her lips. "Well, I wasn't in any of his classes, naturally, I was only a second year, but I'd heard some of the seventh year girls in Gryffindor – my house, you know – talking about him. He never seemed to be listening in class, always looked half-asleep and as though he was relaxing, but he never every answer to every question, and then some. He was… too smart, they said. It was a bit odd…" She trailed off thoughtfully. "He was very intense," she said quietly. "Very ambitious. A right Slytherin to the core, that's for certain."

There was a tense silence around the room, and then Janine asked, "Aunt Gwynnie?"

"Yes, love?"

"Was Mum sad? When he… er… when he died?"

"Well, I don't know, to be honest. She did look a bit worried when she received the letter from Albania, and she certainly seemed sad after reading the letter from the old lady, but then she went off and read Tom's letter. When she came back, she said she'd burned it, but she didn't seem sad anymore. She seemed… thoughtful. And anxious."

"I wonder what he wrote," Janine murmured quietly, chewing his lip.

"So do I, actually. But, that's all in the past, and it hardly matters now." She stood up. "Now, listen here, all of you," she said sternly. "I've no idea why I bothered telling you all that, but you're smart children – I would hope so, anyway – and if you know Janine and have met her mum, you know that Meg's a private person. I want you to keep your mouths shut and not ask questions. I've been good, answering those questions to you though Merlin knows why I did… I've trusted you with information, and now I'm trusting you to do something else. All right?"

They all nodded mutely. Finally Janine muttered, "Thanks, Aunt Gwynnie."

Janine's aunt did not look pleased, and did not answer with a "You're welcome." Rather, she said, "I still have no idea why I told you all that. But you _are _Meg's daughter, and I suppose I owe you that much." She sat up. "I'll floo from the back room of the pub," she said quietly, "and I suggest you don't all leave at once, all right? And I'm sure Abe will let some of you escape through the back room."

"Yes, well, thanks again," Alyssa finally said, her first comment. "I'm sorry we didn't get to talk to you more often."

"Quite fine; I always manage to see you and Jennifer over the summer, and I trust I'll be seeing the rest of you over the summer." Her eyes bored into Sirius's. "And you, boy, you treat my little niece right, understand? Particularly sensitive, that girl is," she continued, despite Janine's growing glower. "Very sensitive in fact, and she needs a good man to fuss over her. Take care of her, understand? Or you'll have me to deal with." She left the pub.

As soon as the door shut behind her, Sirius muttered, "Sure, I'll _take care _of her, all right."

"Oh, piss off," Janine said irritably, and sat back with a sigh. "Well, that was useless. We didn't learn anything."

"What are you talking about?" James asked, confused. "We learned a lot."

"Sure, about his _personality. _But that doesn't tell us much, does it? According to her, this Tom fellow died nineteen years ago."

"I wonder…" Lily pulled at her lip. "It doesn't add up. Your mum and Dumbledore mentioned him being this Dark Lord fellow… so what does it mean?"

"Maybe they were talking about somebody else," Peter said glumly. "Or maybe they're wrong and they're thinking of the wrong person."

"Bollocks," James and Janine said in unison. "Dumbledore's never wrong," Janine mumbled.

James shrugged. "What _I _was going to say is that they can't _both _be wrong. Besides, you didn't see my mum's reaction when we mentioned it to him, did you? She obviously was agitated."

"So was her aunt," pointed out Jen reasonably. "Doesn't mean a thing."

"It was informative, I suppose," Lily finally murmured. "But you know what we really need, don't you?"

"That letter," Janine said suddenly. "And you know, I think Aunt Gwynnie is right. Mum never burned it. It's probably somewhere around the manor."

"For all the good that does," Marlene said tiredly. "Your manor's bloody huge, Janine. Four floors of clutter. There's no way we'd ever find it."

"Oh, we wouldn't," Janine replied slowly. "But a house-elf would."

X-X-X-X-X

Author's Note: So I didn't get everything in this chapter that I wanted to. I know everyone was in a bad mood, and I wrote them like that because I was in a bad mood when I started writing, so… yeah. I tried to at least provide reasons for them being in a mood… and yeah, I wonder why Alexia's not in Hufflepuff too… 'Aunt Gwynnie' was supposed to be a lot more feminist than she came out, but that's okay. I didn't get to mention Sirius's birthday, but I will next chapter (I hope). I wanted to include the first flying lesson in this chapter, too, but it was long enough as it was so I didn't see the point. Um… I had so much to say about this chapter and now I can't remember any of it. Poopie…

Oh, right! If you want a glimpse of how I picture Janine's manor looking (not that it looks like a manor, but we'll pretend it does…) go to and look at the houses section for Sims 2, then look at the biggest houses, page 3… it's the Hidden Lake Monastery one… Yeah, I know it totally doesn't look like a manor, but it's the coolest thing I could think of. Wait until the summer after sixth year, when we get a better description of James's house, which is going to be KICK-ASS… as soon as I find a picture worthy of it. Just a note: the picture will probably be one of the Sims houses because Sims is the COOLEST GAME EVER! Yeah!

Okay… sooo… yeah. Nothing else to say, I think. I hope you enjoyed this chapter – I'm really proud of myself for shooting it out this fast, but I figured you guys deserved it because I've been sooo lazy lately… but I'll be a lot happier if you guys leave millions and millions of reviews for me because it really inspires me to update faster. I always want to put off updating because I'm hoping that I'll get more reviews – so tell EVERYONE about this story because I will be so happy if you guys review!

Last thing – I wrote this silly little one-shot called "Black to the Core" about a Narcissa Black/Malfoy who's very different from the one in this story… she's not as whiny, and I like her better that way, so we'll just pretend she's done some MAJOR growing up, 'kay? It's set right after the events of OotP and is canon-compliant, so please go look and review! It's a little… weird, especially the layout but please-please-please-please read it and tell me what you think!

Okay, that's all for now – I'm working on "What It Takes," for those of you who read it, but that's a little painful to update because I keep running out of ideas… for both stories. So if you guys want more of where this chapter came from, send me titles for REALLY GOOD, BELIEVABLE LJ fics and I'll take a look if I have time! Thanks again, and I love you all – so drop me a review and tell me you love me back :) Peaches


	28. Private Lessons

Disclaimer: Characters and settings are property of J.K. Rowling. What you don't recognize is mine. And I _wish _I owned the Marauders (specifically Sirius and Remus) but most unfortunately, I do not.

Instead of telling you what happened in the past chapter, particularly as I updated fairly recently, I'm going to give you a warning. Mm'kay?

WARNING! YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED! This chapter has MAJOR L+J action! But if you didn't LOVE that action, you wouldn't be reading, right?

X-X-X-X-X

Lily pulled her cloak tighter around herself, shivering in the cool April air. Where _was _he? If he got her in trouble…

"Hey! You came!" James stepped out of the Quidditch locker room, clutching a broomstick. "I wasn't sure if you would," he explained. "See, I thought you might stand me up."

"Don't get me wrong, Potter, this isn't a _date," _she said. "I'm only here because my pride wouldn't let me run away."

"Okay," he said, shrugging, and held out the broomstick. "Now the first thing to do is mount it like _this-_"

"Potter, I was in the same flying class you were first year," she snapped. "I _know_ how to mountthe stupid twig!"

He blinked, and then held out the broomstick. "Fine. How about you show me what you know, and then we'll go from there?"

She took a step back apprehensively. "This is a bad idea," she finally said nervously. "So how about we forget it, eh?"

He stared at her curiously for a moment, and then understanding dawned in his eyes. "Oh, I get it."

"What?" Lily demanded furiously. "Get _what?"_

"You really _are_ scaredof flying, aren't you! You're – you're scared of heights!" He stared, and then began to laugh.

"It's not funny, Potter!"

"No – no, it's not," he agreed, still smiling. "See, I was just trying to goad you yesterday, into letting me teach you. I didn't really think you were afraid. Well… this changes everything."

"I'm not scared!"

"You can admit, you know. It's totally fine. You know, Janine was scared of heights until her dad pretended that he'd teacher to fly by mounting with her, and instead he just kicked off and stayed on the ground, and let her rocket into the air until she got the hang of it?"

"Yes, I've heard the story." She took another step back. "And let me tell you _right now, _if you do that to me, I'll kill you. I won't just kill you – I'll castrate you, understand!"

He paused. "Um – wow. Okay, I won't do that. I wasn't even thinking about it," he added quickly, lying through his teeth. "Just thought it might make you feel better."

"And _how, _pray tell, was that supposed to make me feel _better?"_

"It was – never mind." He held out the broom. "How about we fly together? I'll steer, and it'll just – you'll just have to hang on, okay? And I won't let you fall."

"Look, Potter, I more or less admitted I was scared. So can we just call it quits, now?"

"No! You'll never overcome your fear if you don't _try, _Lily!" He looked at her beadily. "You _do _want to overcome it, don't you?" Lily scowled at the floor. "Come on, Evans! What sort of Gryffindor are you?"

Her eyes flashed angrily. "_Clearly, _I'm the not the type that flies!" She turned to storm away, but James quickly blocked her path, arms out in a gesture of apology.

"Okay, I'm sorry. That was obnoxious. So let's start over, eh?"

"Allow me to assure you, it's _far _too late for the pair of us to start over, Potter."

_What's she talking about? _"With the flying lesson, I mean," he clarified. She cast him a stormy look. "Come on, Lily, I really am a good teacher, I swear. Give me a chance, eh?"

She scowled at him, and then grudgingly took a step forward. "One ride," she replied. "And then that's it. I'll hate it," she added gloomily.

"Maybe, maybe not," James replied cheerfully, and mounted the broom eagerly, before patting the area in front of him. He swept her a gallant bow from his seat. "Your noble steed, my lady."

"Of course," she replied dryly, and mounted just in front of him. James noticed that Lily was trying very hard to sit up absolutely straight, so that her back wasn't touching him at all. Well, that wouldn't do. He reached an arm around her waist and pulled her to him, ignoring her indignant squeal of protest. "You'll be more comfortable this way," he murmured in hear. He saw the back of her neck go red, and vaguely wondered why.

"Let's just finish this," she muttered uncomfortably. "What do I know?"

"Grip the broom like you're going to steer," James explained. He waited until she did so, and adjusted her grip slightly. "There – you'll have more control this way."

"You aren't going to make me do this on my own, are you?" she asked, her voice panicky.

" 'Course not," he replied, fitting one of his own hands over her two much smaller ones, still keeping a tight hold around her waist. "All right, I'm going to kick off – _slowly,_" he added when he felt her stiffen. "Try and relax, and lean back. You don't have to do anything."

"Okay," she whispered, but she inhaled sharply when James lightly kicked off, and the broom rose about fifteen feet into the air and hovered.

"See? Not so bad, is it?" He leaned forward so that his chin was resting on her shoulder, and took a good peek at her face. Her eyes were tightly screwed shut. He suppressed a chuckle. "Uh, Lily – you may want to keep your eyes open. Just, so, you know, we don't crash into the Whomping Willow."

"The Whomping Willow?" she half screamed. "_Crash?"_ James let go of the broom long enough to clap a hand over her mouth, which only made her scream louder and lean forward. The broom began to head for the ground, but James hastily grabbed the broom and yanked it back up. They soared to an altitude of nearly fifty feet.

"I want off," she whimpered. "_Now, _James."

"Relax," he said soothingly, tightening his hold on her waist. "I won't let you fall, I promise. But no more screaming, or we'll wake the whole castle. Okay?" She nodded fervently.

"Just don't let go!"

"I won't," he continued, coaxing her to relax again. "We're going to move a bit now, okay?"

"Do we have to?" she asked in a tiny voice. He suppressed laughter again.

"Yeah, we have to. You want to learn, don't you?"

"No," she squeaked. "I want my feet on the ground again!"

"Lily, breathe!" He tightened his hold once more. "Try and relax a little. I promised I wouldn't let you fall, right? And I won't."

"Right, right," she muttered, breathing quickly. One of her hands pulled out of his grasp to clutch the arm around her waist. "Of course."

"Lean forward, just a little," he explained, leaning with her. "It'll make the ride go smoother." They accelerated, slightly, and Lily gasped. James stopped at once. "This isn't working, is it?"

"No! No, no, no!"

"Okay, okay, just – hey, don't stop breathing! Breathe, okay?" She began inhaling rapidly through her nose. James gently accelerated downwards – she started breathing faster – until he brought them to a halt, just seven feet above the ground. "Okay, this isn't working."

"Can I get off now?"

"No, no… I have an idea! Turn around."

"…What?"

"Turning around. Here, let me help…" With some difficulty, James managed to get Lily turned around, so that she was facing him. "You're going to have to hold on really tight, okay? This way you don't have to see where you're going – I'll just take you for a ride! It'll be fast, but you'll love it, I promise."

"I don't like your idea," she muttered. She looked like such a little child that James leaned forward and kissed her forehead – startling her _and _angering her. "Potter!"

"Sorry, sorry," he said, snorting but otherwise managing to contain his laughter. "Look, just wrap your arms around my waist, okay? And hold tight." It seemed like a good idea until Lily actually put her arms around him and scrunched up against him, pushing herself into his chest. She wriggled until she was comfortable; James gritted his teeth. "Okay, ready?"

"I guess so-" She screamed as James leaned forward, the pair of them shooting off like a rocket. James clenched his jaw when she clutched him tighter wrapping her legs around his waist as she wailed, "Get me _off _of this thing!"

"Relax!" he shouted back, beginning to settle into the rhythm of flying, never mind the fact that Lily was hanging onto him as if her very life depended on it. He pulled the broom up, and they went spiraling into the air.

X-X-X-X-X

"Where d'you suppose Lily is?" Janine sat in the window seat, drumming her fingers aimlessly as she stared out the window.

"Hey, Janie, look, I'm an elephant!" Janine turned slightly as Jen started giggling madly, socks on both her ears and her nose. She glanced over her darker-haired friend's head to Marlene, who shook her head and pointed to the four empty bottles of butterbeer.

"That stuff's not strong, though," said Alyssa pointedly, flipping through a fashion magazine.

"It is after you've had four bottles, I guess," Marlene replied doubtfully.

"Where'd she get that stuff from, anyway?" Janine wanted to know.

"From your stash in the armoire," said Alyssa. "Why?"

"Because I spiked that stuff with Firewhisky," she explained. "From the last Quidditch party in the common room." She turned out the window, ignoring Jen's cart wheeling across the room. "Eh… knock her out, would you?"

"Jennie, go to sleep," Marlene scolded. "It's past your bedtime."

"You're not my mummy," said Jen, puffing out her lower lip, "and-"

"_Sobrius!"_ Jen moaned loudly, falling back onto the bed as Janine pocketed her wand.

"Ooh, you bitch. What did you do _that _for? Now my head hurts like a bitch."

"Serves you right," Janine replied unsympathetically. She leaned further out the window. "Where's Lily?"

"Prefect rounds, probably," Alyssa murmured, turning a page.

"Yeah, well, she should have told – what the _hell _is that?" Janine leaned further out the window, and then gave an almighty screech and jerked back just as a broomstick whizzed where her head had been, its occupant screaming madly. "Hey, watch it, arsehole!" Snarling, she leaned out again, trying to get a glimpse of who it was. "You stupid…"

"Who was that?" Jen asked.

"Probably some half-arsed Hufflepuff who can't fly a damn," replied Janine crankily, and she slammed the door shut. "Leave flying to the professionals," she added under her breath, and settled in her seat for another evening of sulking.

X-X-X-X-X

James noticed Lily was shaking in his arms, so he quickly landed on the roof of the Gryffindor tower, hoping nobody had seen him when he'd flown past the open windows. He dismounted swiftly and helped untangle Lily's legs from his waist, setting the broomstick beside them as he comfortably sat. "You okay?" he asked, concerned.

Lily's head, up until then, had been buried in his chest. Now she looked up, her cheeks red and her eyes bright and green. "That was…"

"Sorry," he said quickly when she trailed off. "I guess I went a little fast, eh?"

"Did you _see _her face?" Lily started to laugh. "God, we almost took Janine's _head _off! It was hilarious!"

"Er… I guess?" James shook her shoulders gently. "Hey, Lily, get a grip. I think you're hysterical. Or something."

"I just…" She whooped with laughter again and settled into his lap, burying her face into his neck. He could feel wetness soaking into his neck and the edge of his shirt, and instantly pulled back and grimaced when he saw the tears floating down her face. "Oh, God, I was so _scared!"_

"Um…"

"I'm such a chicken, aren't I?"

"Nah, you're not," James said, reaching for his sleeve and gently mopping her tears. "I mean… I went pretty fast. I guess if you're not used to it…" She'd stopped crying. "Did you enjoy it, though?" he asked eagerly. "Did you have a good time?"

"NO! Not at _all!" _James flinched, and she added grudgingly, "I was terrified out of my mind, Potter. Or didn't the screaming tip you off?"

"Yeah, guess it should have," he admitted. "But… was it really that bad?"

"Yes, it really was." His heart sank. "When can we do it again?"

His head jerked up. "Er… what?"

"Well, I'm never going to learn if I give up now, right? But next time, we go _slower._" She fixed her eyes on his. "And _I'm _going to drive."

"Sure," he said, suddenly cheerful again. "Sure thing, Lily."

X-X-X-X-X

Lily reached forward to tap the Fat Lady's frame, intending to wake her up, but she found James blocked her path. "Yes?" she asked, cocking an eyebrow.

"Now, come on. I want you to admit it."

"Admit _what, _precisely?"

"That I'm not aw awful as you think!"

Lily took a deep breath. "Ugh. Fine, fine. You're… you'renotasawfulasIthink." James blinked. Well, it was a start, anyway. "Although…" She frowned. "I could do without you hexing every Slytherin you come across."

James's expression turned stormy. "That isn't fair. They're… they're Slytherins! I mean, they'd hex me too – what am I supposed to do, lie down and take it every time Snivellus throws a hex my way? I can't _do _that, Lily! Besides, he's – he's bad news!"

"Bad news," she repeated skeptically. "_Bad news._"

"Yes, well – he's into the Dark Arts, and he'll probably turn out as a Death Eater or something, and, and – and he called you a Mudblood!"

"James," she said in a patient voice, "All right, so he reads up on the Dark Arts – well, it's important to know all you can. And you don't _know _that he'll be a Death Eater."

"What about his calling you a Mudblood, eh? I'd like to see you explain that one!"

Lily's eyes flashed momentarily, but she firmly stomped down on her anger. It wasn't fair for her to get angry with James, because although he was being a prat, he was being a very sweet prat, and he only wanted to defend her.

…Did she just call him _sweet?_

"Well… that's my problem, isn't it? Not yours. I don't really _need _you to champion my cause," he opened his mouth here and she quickly added, "although it's very sweet of you to do so."

He gave her a mutinous look. "All right, Lily Evans, let's get _one _thing straight. I am decidedly _not _sweet."

Lily flashed him an angelic smile. "Well, I think you are."

"I'm – I'm not sweet!"

"Well, let's see." She took a step closer to him, and he gulped. Standing on her tiptoes to peer into his face, she began ticking things off. "Firstly, you're always trying to defend me," she murmured, "and even though you're a bit arrogant, you _always _help out Peter when he needs it, and you never turn your back on him.

"Evans-"

"_And," _she continued in a loud voice, overriding him, "you helped Severus even though you despise him, because you didn't want anything to happen to Remus."

"_Lily-"_

"You sent your elves to search your house – which Janine tells me is very big – just so she could find out the truth about this Tom fellow, and we all know that half the reason we do all this nonsensical research is because Janine wanted to.

"Well, we were curious too-"

"But we all know that it's mostly the former reason." She smirked devilishly at him. "And look at you now – you're trying to teach me to fly. You know what that makes you?"

"Don't say it," he began stubbornly.

She gave him a wicked smile. "Sweet." The word left her lips a scant second before James's mouth descended on hers.

She wasn't really sure how her arms got up around his neck, or how one of her hands tangled in his unruly hair, or how his arms had wrapped tightly around her, because even though he was kissing her ravenously and she thought she should stop him, she was far too busy kissing him _back _to notice. She didn't even notice when he pressed her up against the wall, except that it _wasn't _a wall…

"Good heavens! Get off of me at once!"

Lily and James leapt apart and glanced up at the wall – no, it was the Fat Lady, and she looked half asleep but very scandalized. "Children," she said in disgust. "Can't help but going at one another like rabid, starving wolves-"

Lily choked, partially in embarrassment, partially in laughter, as James said hastily, "All right, all right, we're sorry – password's Crup Tails, now let us in, will you?"

Sniffing haughtily, she swung open to admit them, and they both scrambled though. It swung shut, and Lily glanced at her feet, cheeks flushing brightly. She couldn't bear to glance up at James, because she knew he'd be smirking triumphantly, or some such thing. Unable to help it, she looked up.

Except he _wasn't _smirking triumphantly – he wasn't smirking at all. He, too, was glancing firmly at his shoes, his cheeks a ruddy red, his hair even more unruly than usual – _Did I do that? – _and his glasses slightly askew.

"Sorry," he muttered. "I didn't… I didn't mean to kiss you. I'm really sorry – that was awful, wasn't it?"

Lily stared. _She _hadn't thought it was awful at all! "Why, you-" she spluttered indignantly. He jerked his head up to stare at her in surprise. "You – you _kiss _me like that, and then you act like it's nothing-"

"I'm not acting like it's nothing-"

"-And then you say it's _awful, _and you say how you didn't mean it-"

"Wait, that's not what I meant-"

"And you're just – you're just such a pig, you know that?" She threw the insult at him, ignoring his astounded face. "Because even if I'm not _good _enough for you-"

"Hang on, Lily-"

"-Well, maybe it meant nothing to _you, _but it meant something to _me! _So just – just piss off!" She spun on her heels, cheeks flamed with embarrassment, and stalked towards her dormitory, more humiliated than she'd ever been in her life.

"Wait – wait, Lily!" She could hear James scrambling after her and quickened her pace, hurrying up the stairs – and she'd almost reached the top, except that James had started up too, and the entire staircase turned into a slide, sending her to the bottom and ungracefully on top of James, who had already landed in a heap at its foot.

He glanced up at her as she tried to clamber off of him, but he grabbed her arms and pulled her back so that she was practically sitting on him. "Did you mean it?" he wanted to know. "That it meant something to you?"

She didn't answer, her eyes wide and her cheeks flushed, so James just took a chance and kissed her once more, trying to be gentle at first, coaxing an answer out of her, but the kiss sent a jolt of excitement through both of them and James struggled to sit up as Lily pressed her palms into his shoulders, clinging to him even more tightly than he was clinging to her-

And then she jerked away, her curls pulled to one side of her face, her eyes the side of dinner plates. James was close enough to count the few faint freckles across his nose, and was thinking about kissing her again, when she whispered, "G-good night, James." She hastily climbed off of him and scuttled up the stairs, leaving James in a heap at the bottom. He heard the door click shut high above him.

He sat frozen for a few minutes, and then whooped suddenly, pumping his fist into the air.

"What the hell are you doing down there?" James craned his neck around and saw his three friends, clustered at the banister, staring down at him, all dressed in their pajamas. "And where were you?" Sirius demanded. "You missed it. This crazy dervish whirled by our window, and-" He gave James a bizarre look as James began to laugh uncontrollably. "…Er, are you all right, mate? Mate? James, stop laughing… you're creeping me out, seriously now…"

X-X-X-X-X

The next day on the way to breakfast, Lily ducked her head, allowing the long tendrils to hide her eyes. Unfortunately, said tendrils obscured her vision, and she smashed into someone. "Look, Potter, I can't deal with you just now, last night was very-" She stiffened and color flooded her cheeks as, far above her, Severus Snape arched a delicate eyebrow, a sneer on his face.

"Never took you for Potter's type, Evans," he said stiffly, and extended a hand towards her. Lily stared at it dumbly for a moment, unsure if she was hallucinating – and she rather hopes she was. "It's a hand, Evans," he pointed out in exasperation. "Now do you want help up or shall I leave you disgracefully on the floor?"

Lily seized his hand and allowed him to pull her to her feet. She knelt to pick up her books, and was surprised when she found a hand on top of hers. She stared at _it, _dumbly, for a few minutes, too, before realizing it was most likely Snape's. She snatched her hand back and watched as he stood, handing her the final book. She gazed at it suspiciously.

"I did not hex it, Evans, if that is what you were wondering." Actually, she _had _been wondering that. "Good day." He strode away, black robes billowing out around him.

"What was Snivellus talking to you about?" Lily gritted her teeth and turned to face James Potter – blessedly alone.

"Nothing. He just knocked into me-"

"That greasy git, he probably did it on purpose!" He pulled out his wand – and then Lily blocked his path. He look astonished, and then added sheepishly, "Er… championing your cause?"

Lily looked at him. "I don't really want to use it up on this, but I think I have no choice."

"Er… what?"

"For the rest of the month…" She gazed him straight in the eyes. "Be nice to him. I mean it, be nice to him – no hexing, no fighting. If he says something to you, don't retaliate. And if he, say, trips… offer to help him up, like you would to me. If your friends try to do something, I want you to stop them. That's my favor. That's what you owe me."

"No! Lily, come on, that's completely unfair!"

"Frankly, I think it's fairer than you deserve," she shot back. "I'm not asking you to _marry _him, Potter, I'm asking you to be nice to him for under three weeks. How difficult can it be?" She started to walk away.

James grabbed her arm. "No, you don't understand. This is… this is a bad time!"

"Favors aren't repaid when they're _convenient _for you, Potter," she informed him.

"I though you were calling me James. You were last night."

"Can we _not _talk about that?"

"I think we should."

"I think we _shouldn't._" She scowled at him. "Why must you be difficult?"

"Me? I'm not _being _difficult; you are! You said it meant something to you!"

"I lied."

"No, that's what you're doing _now._ Tell me it didn't mean anything to you."

She gazed at him steadily again. "That's dirty, Potter."

"Look, you _can't _make me do this. This Friday is – it's Sirius's birthday, okay? And you know Saturday – all that stuff about tradition, pranking everyone, _especially _Snivellus-"

"You didn't have to prank everyone the day after _your _birthday!" she pointed out irritably. "Being drunk doesn't excuse me!"

"I wasn't _drunk, _I was _hungover. _The difference being that I was drunk the day _before._ Come on, Lily, be reasonable."

"Didn't I just tell you favors weren't repaid when it was convenient for _you?"_

"Well, yes, you did – but come on, Lily, it's unfair!" His eyes pleaded with her; her eyes gave no quarter. "Please?"

She frowned at him for a long moment, and James almost thought she'd agree. But then – "I think it's a good lesson for you, and it's only fair, after all."

"What?" he exclaimed.

"You're giving _me _lessons, so now I'm giving you one. And believe me, Potter – I'll know if you don't hold up to your end of the bargain." She turned away from him, striding into the Great Hall. James watched her go, before turning and kicking a wall, swearing in frustration.

"And things were going so _well, _too!" he grumbled. Scowling at the doors to the Great Hall in irritation, James decided to skip breakfast and instead stormed off to the pitch, hoping to keep his mind off of things by flying.

X-X-X-X-X

A/N: Didja like that? Hope ya did! I'm not going to say much of… anything, because I sorta forgot where this story was going so now I need to go back and reread the whole thing so that I'll remember everything I've written before and so that I don't repeat myself and so I need to go back and read the whole thing.

…Yeah, okay, the repeating thing above was TOTALLY intentional. I'm a loser; go sue me ('cept you won't get nothing 'cause I got NOTHING!)

Yeah, I'm crazy. Completely. Hope you liked the chapter; leave a review! Peaches


	29. The Worst That Could Happen

Disclaimer: Characters and settings are property of J.K. Rowling. What you don't recognize is mine. And I _wish _I owned the Marauders (specifically Sirius and Remus) but most unfortunately, I do not.

Last chapter: Lily and James see some MAJOR action, and Lily forces James into a promise that he's going to hate, using up the promise he owed _her. _Oh, and James tries to teach Lily to fly. It doesn't work.

Author's notes at the end.

X-X-X-X-X

James had to give Lily some credit. Since the last time they'd spoken (Sunday, 7:27 AM – he'd checked), she'd done a remarkable job of completely avoiding him. She hurried out of class before he could catch her, and was in none of her regular haunts (translation: the library), and sat very far away from him during all mealtimes, surrounded by a tight-knit group of friends who all seemed intent on keeping him away from her (even Janine).

He'd more or less given up the day before. Besides, it was Sirius's birthday, and James was very much determined to give his best mate the time of his life, particularly seeing as Sirius had been moody ever since his breakup with Janine. James really _was _ready to kill one or both of them, but he restrained himself, deciding that Sirius at least deserved a decent seventeenth birthday party before he died a very painful death at James's hands.

Nevertheless, he was a bit startled to see Lily leaning against the wall beside the bathroom, very much alone and without her friends. He quickened his pace and was almost right next to her before she even noticed he was there.

"Potter! What… what are you doing here?" She frowned. "This is a girls' bathroom. You're aware of that, right?"

"We're not inside," he pointed out reasonably, and leaned closer. She responded by inching away from him; James ignored that. "I have to talk to you."

"We've got nothing to talk about."

"Yes, we do! Look, Evans, you kissed me, I kissed you, the world didn't end and it's not going to, and-"

"James!" she hissed, clamping a tight hand over his mouth, her knuckles white. "Shut up!"

It was only then that he noticed Narcissa Black, who had evidently just left the bathroom, staring at them. A lazy smile crossed her face. "Well. This _is _interesting, isn't it? Potter and Evans. Who'd have thought?"

"Shut up, Black-" James began around Lily's hand, his lips tickling he palm. She jerked her hand back, rubbing it as though it had been burned.

"I suppose there's no accounting for taste in some families nowadays, but really, Potter, can you do no better? You're decently handsome, you know, and-"

"Black." Lily's voice was tight. "You are going to walk away and forget you overheard this conversation. Understand?"

Narcissa was still smiling a cat's smile. "No, I really won't. I can think of several people who would find this development very… _interesting. _And here I thought you hated each other."

"I don't _hate _Lily," James protested vehemently, just as Lily shot back, "We _do!"_ They glanced at one another.

"Yes… of course you hate each other." She smiled angelically, and she really did look like an angel, with large gray eyes and a pretty halo of white-blond hair. "See you around, Evans, Potter. Or Evans _and _Potter, I suppose it is now…" She sauntered away, swaying her hips. Lily groaned.

"Now look what you've done!"

"Hey, how was I supposed to know she was in there-"

"It'll be all over the school tomorrow!" Lily wailed in frustration. "And as if that isn't bad enough, all my friends are going to _kill _me because I didn't tell them…"

"You didn't tell them?" James blinked. He'd told his own friends immediately; in fact, they'd all whooped and cheered so much that Fabian Prewett had come over from the next dorm to remind them that some people were sleeping and to please shut the bloody hell up.

Lily blinked. _Why is that important? _"You're joking, right? I'm not going to tell them _that. _It's embarrassing enough to admit to myself, let alone my friends."

James couldn't help but feel slightly chagrined that she felt that way. He wasn't _that _bad of a kisser, was he? He'd never had complaints _before…_ "I have to talk to you," he said again. "You don't even have to talk back. I just want you to listen."

She looked at him warily. "All right, I'm listening."

He heaved a deep breath. "Look, we kissed, right? I mean, we did. And you said it meant something. Er… you did say that, right?" He looked horribly vulnerable, so much so that Lily would have laughed if she'd been cruel. Instead, she nodded unsmilingly. "And, well… we've got to come to terms with it, right? I mean, it definitely meant something to me. I just…"

"James." Lily looked at the tips of her shoes. "I don't want to give you the wrong impression. There was… there was something there. I admit that." She glanced up, and saw his hopeful face. "A little something," she added hastily, "and that's all there's ever going to be, because…"

His face fell. "…I'm not your type," he finished quietly. She nodded again. "You can't know that," he tried earnestly. "I mean, we've only gotten to talking a few times in the last year, and… look, can't you just give me a chance? Just one?"

Lily sighed. "You're never going to let up, are you?" She sounded so exasperated that James hung his head, contemplating very heavily what he was about to do.

"Listen. How about you and I… just become friends? I mean it. No kissing, nothing. Just friends. Like… like Janine and I are friends." He blinked. "Well, not _exactly _like Janine and I are friends. Like… like you and Remus are, or like… like Jen and me, or something like that. Just friends. No flirting, no kissing, no touching unless we literally run into each other because we're not paying attention." She smiled at that. "Sound fair?"

She seemed wary again. "What's the catch?"

He heaved a heavy breath. "If, at the end of this year, you can honestly say that I haven't changed and that you _still _think I'm not at all your type… I'll stop. Once and for all."

She snorted. "Yeah, right."

"No, really, I mean it. Listen, if you can still say that I'm not worth taking a chance on at the end of this year, if I'm really not at all different, nowhere close to your type-"

"I can tell you that for _certain _now, Potter-"

"-Let me finish. If you can say all that – and I'm telling you to let me know you as a friend, and let you know _me _as a friend – and if you can really say all that, I really will stop. Swear it on the family name. I won't ever ask you out again. I won't ever bother you. I'll just… I'll stay away. Won't even be your friend, if you don't want me to."

Lily watched him. "And I have your promise on this, right? Like, an oath? You can't break an oath. If I can still say all that, you'll really let it go?"

"I really will. So long as you really _do _try to get to know me, to see past the glasses and the big head." She rolled her eyes. "Come on, Lily. It's not like I'm asking for a date, here. I'm trying to be friends. I want you to see… that I'm worth it."

Her eyes were filled with – and there was no other word for it – a tenderness he'd never seen in her face before. "Don't sound so helpless. I'm sure you're _worth _it, James Potter… just not for me." She held up a hand as he opened his mouth to argue again. "Nevertheless… I'll give you this. Just until the end of the year. No flirting, no kissing, no touching, nothing of the sort beyond common friendliness that I give all your other friends. And I _will _try to be your friend, but I'm not looking for more than that." She frowned. "And if I _do _decide to go out with someone, briefly, in those two months, you may _not _get jealous. Understand?" He nodded vigorously, his face shining with hope. "All right, whatever. I guess I can give this a try." _What the hell. It's only two months or so._

"And when people ask about the kisses…"

"I tripped and you caught me with your lips?" she suggested with a grin.

"Twice?" he retorted.

"I don't know, Potter. We'll figure it out later, or just tell people that Black heard wrong. After all, she _was _the only one who heard. We can deny the whole thing."

James didn't really feel like denying it, but he was so elated that she'd agreed to his idea that he just went with it. "Hey, you know what?" he suddenly asked excitedly, "it's Sirius's birthday, and we're giving him a party in Hogsmeade! Why don't you come?"

She frowned. "That would mean sneaking out."

"You've done it before," he pointed out. "And if you want, I can take you a bit early so you can buy a present. As a _friend, _of course," he added quickly, before she accused him of violating the terms. "Really. I won't get touchy-feely or anything. Just to buy Sirius a present. Not socks, though," he added with a grimace. "Or a girly jumper."

Lily giggled; James had to grin. "All right, fine. I'll see you later, then. I've got to go get ready."

"Party doesn't start 'til eight," he said. "So if we leave by seven it should be fine. And you don't need to get all fancy, or anything, you can just…" He trailed off at the look on her face. "Right, so this dressing up thing is a girl thing, I guess."

"It is," she confirmed, and then added, "You may be a womanizer, Potter," ("Hey, I resent that!"), "but you've still got a lot to learn about women." She rounded a corner, and James sunk against a wall.

Well, at least she'd given him half a chance now. But how the _hell _was he going to manage to keep his hands and his mouth to himself for _two whole months?_

Lily, meanwhile, congratulated herself on a job well done. Not only would James leaver her alone for two monthsbut she'd also appeased everyone else by giving him a chance. And, if need be, she still didn't have to date him at the end. And at that end, it'd be over. He'd stop. All of the price of being friends with James Potter for _two short months_.

Lily smiled. _What's the worst that could happen?_

X-X-X-X-X

"Going somewhere?" Janine teased. As it stood, she and Lily were the only ones in the common room. "Getting all dressed up for your prefect rounds?"

"That's right," Lily replied tonelessly. "Hot date tonight."

Janine's face contorted in disgust. "Hang on, isn't Snape your prefect partner?"

"That was _once,_" Lily said pointedly, "and it was in the fifth year. No, this month it's Remus, actually." Lily dragged a brush through her curls. "And I haven't got prefect rounds tonight." With a grunt of frustration, she cast her brush down. There was no way she'd ever get her hair straight like Janine's, not without several carefully applied charms, just the way Janine's hair would ever be curly like hers, again not without several carefully applied charms. She looked at her friend. "Help."

"Trying to straighten your hair? It'll take a while."

"Wizards can sew up wounds in an instant, re-grow bones, and send things flying through the air, but straightening one's hair requires liberal amounts of Sleakeazy's and carefully applied straightening charms. Bloody amazing. What time is it?"

"Six. And as long as you're on your tirade about wizards _ought _to be able to do, based on what they already _can _do, you might as well add a decent hangover remedy to the list, because we haven't got a one."

"Quiet, you." Lily turned to look at her fully, now. "Six? I've got an hour, then. Hop to it and I'll let you glance over my Charms essay to give you ideas for yours." Janine rolled her eyes and began piling all of Lily's hair on top of her head, before starting with the backmost layer, using her wand to straighten it slowly.

"I don't need you to look over my Charms essay," she said in a soft voice. "I had Evan help me with it."

Lily jerked and squeaked as the hot tip of Janine's wand poked her in the neck. _And to top it all, you have to heat your wand to straighten one's hair. Bloody amazing. _"Evan _Rosier?" _she asked in disbelief. "I thought you broke up with him end of last year!"

"I did! Er… sort of. We were… hanging out earlier this year. When I was dating Fabian," she qualified. "Although I stopped seeing him somewhere in the middle of that, I think." She heaved a heavy breath. "Anyway, I skipped lunch and met up with him in the empty Transfiguration classroom."

"Janine! What if McGonagall had caught you?"

"It's not like I'm skipping class to do it, am I? Anyway, she was at lunch with everybody else. She wouldn't have caught us." Janine let down some of Lily's hair, moving on to the next layer.

"Janine?" Lily asked after a few minutes.

"Hmm?"

"You're not… _using _Rosier, are you?" Her friend didn't answer. "To make Sirius jealous, that is."

Janine huffed. "If I am, it isn't working," she muttered.

"Janine!" Lily jerked again, and felt the hot tip of Janine's wand jab her once more. She wondered if the brunette was doing it on purpose. "That's… scummy."

"Oh, hush up." They sat in silence for some time, until Janine heaved a sigh. "Lily… is it really pathetic that I miss him as much as I do?"

She knew her friend wasn't talking about Rosier. "You're asking us the wrong person." Janine sighed again. She seemed to be doing that a lot lately. "Although I do think that he misses you, too, and that you're trying to make each other miserable but in the end are only making yourselves miserable. I also think it isn't worth trying to do. You're happier together, you are."

"You think?"

"Unless you can find a way to respectfully break up once and for all. Otherwise, yes, I do think so." Lily frowned, trying to see what Janine was doing in the mirror. "But if you're dating Rosier…"

"We're not exactly dating. We're-"

"-Shagging?"

"No! Lil, come on." Janine was scowling fiercely now, and Lily felt another sharp jab in the back of her neck. Yep, Janine was _definitely _doing it on purpose. "Geez. We were _working._"

"Is that what they're calling it nowadays? Ow! Hey, stop that!" Lily jerked away from the hot tip of Janine's wand and gritted her teeth.

"Sorry." She didn't sound particularly repentant.

"You can do better than him, Janine. _Much _better."

"What's wrong with Rosier? Lots of money, quite handsome, comes from a respectable family…"

"Janine…"

"My parents like him. Er, my mother does. And my grandmother, too."

"They liked him because he came from an _acceptable _family. But the Blacks are acceptable too, right?"

"Not at all. Morgans and Blacks have hated each other for centuries. No idea why – goes back to some thirteenth century nonsense. Anyway, Sirius is doubly unsuitable because he ran away from home. He's a rebel, and rebels are bad. Rosier may not be the best fish at the market, but he's good enough for the family. Although I know my mother would prefer I married a Prewett."

"A Prewett?"

"Oh, definitely. Since I broke up with Fabian, she's practically been _shoving _me at Gideon."

"Bit old for you, isn't he?"

"Six years isn't so much," she replied quietly. "And Gideon _would _be the perfect husband, I suppose. He's awfully nice. Very kind, too, and unquestionably sweet."

"I should think you'd get bored with someone like that." Lily smirked at Janine's reflection. "You wouldn't be happy unless you had someone who'd make you miserable."

"Huh? That doesn't even make sense!" Janine stepped back, patting Lily's now-straight hair. "Beautiful," she declared, surveying her handiwork. "If you'll give me a moment, I'll smooth some Sleakeazy's over it, and you'll be all set. Where are you going, anyway?"

Lily ran her fingers through her hair. "Potter invited me to go out and celebrate Black's birthday."

Janine stiffened for a moment, and then asked quietly, "Why would he do that?"

"Haven't you heard? I'm surprised Black hasn't spread it all over the school by now. Er, Narcissa Black, that is." Sighing, Lily related the events of the kisses she'd shared with James, and the deal that had followed.

"Well, good for you. I'm glad you're giving him a chance. About bloody time." Janine didn't look glad, though. Actually, she looked like she was sulking, and Lily knew her well enough to know why.

"Do you want to come with? You can look your best and make Black ever regret ditching you."

"He didn't _ditch _me! I ditched _him _and not vice versa!"

"Right," Lily agreed hastily. "So, do you want to come?" Janine bit her lip. "It'll be fun," Lily wheedled, and then added, "I have no idea where we're going, though, and I'd probably feel better if you came too."

Janine huffed. "No, I think I'll stay here and wallow in my misery," she decided.

"Are you sure? That'll be boring."

"I don't want to see him, Lily. I don't want to see him pick up every girl he passes, flirting incessantly while I sit there and feel sorry for myself. I don't believe in feeling sorry for myself." Lily's eyebrows rose. It was quite clear that Janine was feeling _very _sorry for herself.

"If you're sure," answered Lily uncertainly.

"I'm sure. Here, you can borrow something of mine," Janine added, and went to the armoire, rifling through it and coming up with a scandalously short white skirt and green top that would most likely reveal much more than Lily wanted it too. She frowned.

"Knock Potter dead."

"I'm not _trying _to knock him dead," Lily responded tartly, shoving Janine's clothes away and pulling on a pair of Muggle jeans. Janine rolled her eyes.

"Boring," she announced.

"Only by your standards," responded Lily. "But here, how's this for daring?" She knelt and reached under Jen's bed, finally emerging with a pair of shiny black boots. Janine surveyed them critically, and then pulled a shirt out of the armoire again, this one black. Lily tried it on to appease her friend, only to discover that it bared her shoulders.

Janine sighed. "It will have to do," she announced dramatically. "Now, can you do me a favor?"

"What sort of favor?" Lily asked warily.

"Give this to Sirius, would you?" Janine pulled out a tiny box from her bedside table and shoved it into Lily's hands. "You don't have to say who it's from. Just… I got it in Diagon Alley, over Christmas break, and it seemed a waste to let it just sit, you know? It's not like I can give it to anyone else."

"This won't kill him, will it? Because it will be an awful liability for the school and possibly a lawsuit against you if it does."

"Shut up, Evans. Give it to him?"

"Yeah, I will."

"And don't let him get too drunk," she added quietly, walking with Lily into the common room – which was mercifully empty. _Most people outside, enjoying the nice day, _Lily supposed. It depressed her that Janine had opted to remain inside, and immediately resolved to get her friend out and doing something at the first opportunity – excluding this one. "I'll make your excuses to the others."

"Thanks."

"Have fun, Lily," Janine said, and waved to her from the portrait. "And don't forget to give him the box!"

X-X-X-X-X

"I thought you might have stood me up!" exclaimed James, when Lily arrived half an hour late. Seeing her scowl, he added hastily, "Not that we're dating or anything, I just – hell." He scuffed his shoes on the floor. "I always _do _that."

"Open mouth, insert foot," replied Lily wryly. "How do you open this thing?" She rapped her knuckles on the mirror smartly. Nothing happened.

"Stand back and let a _man _do this," James said, puffing out his chest impressively. Digging his fingernails into the crack by the side of the mirror, he wrenched it open with an almighty grunt. "Ladies first," he said, sweeping a mocking bow.

Lily's eyebrows rose. "Lead the way, then."

He pretended to be hurt. "Ouch! Cruelty, thy name is Lily."

"Fine, _I'll _go first." She marched through, only glancing back when James slammed the mirror shut. Frowning around the dank passageway, she asked, "How _did _you find this place, anyway?"

James laughed. "You'd be amazed what Sirius and I can do without trying." He then proceeded to tell her the story of their discovery – which involved, oddly enough, Filch, an ink bottle, a bit of string, and a mug of hot chocolate that was more whipped cream than it was hot chocolate.

By the end of it, Lily was in peals of laughter and James was grinning madly. "We got a detention for it," he finished, "but I think it was worth it."

"Is this the only passage out of here?"

"Oh, no, there are plenty of others. We know of about six… or seven." James shrugged indifferently. "I usually use this one, though."

"Oh." Lily said nothing for a few moments, and then, "So, how did you find the others?" James grinned and began the tale.

They continued in that vein for some time. He told her some of their various escapades – embellishing a little, however, as Mrs. Norris quickly became "a crazed feline with claws of death" – and Lily found herself laughing at him. After the story of Sirius and the Exploding Pumpkin Pie, James tapered off his stories, getting quiet for a while.

"Hey, you all right?"

"Why weren't we friends?" James asked aloud. "I mean – okay, I spent all that time hitting on you, the past two and a half years – but what about before that? Why weren't we friends then?"

Lily shrugged. "Oh, I don't know. I mean, it started with you playing that prank on me, first year-"

"What prank?"

Lily paused. "You know, I can't remember," she said wonderingly. "Huh. Fancy that. Anyway, after that – I don't know, it irritated me, and I suppose I retaliated. Yes, that's exactly what happened," she said, now certain. "I retaliated, and you played another prank – I don't know."

James frowned. "I think it just built up."

"Yes, I imagine it did. It started out as a friendly competition, I think, and then it kept getting worse and worse – and, well, what started out as a competition became mutual loathing, I guess."

"That's too bad."

"Yeah, it is." They quietly slid into the abandoned house and then out the back door, just like before. James didn't bring up the subject again, for which Lily was thankful. They wandered in and out of stores, laughing at the ridiculousness of some of the items for sale; breathing in wonder over the more interesting ones.

Lily soon found herself in a cheap antique shop, trying to avoid the rickety chairs and tables and not break anything. James was curiously peering at what appeared to be a human skull with two noses. "Bizarre," he announced loudly. "Looks more like a Dark Arts object."

She wandered to the back of the room, ignoring James, until she found a mirror, ornately carved out of rosewood. Lily peered into it inquisitively, and jumped back in horror when it spoke to her. It wasn't so surprising that it did, of course – most mirrors _did _talk – but it was the matter in which the mirror spoke.

"Hello, gorgeous," purred a decidedly feminine, husky voice. "Aren't you a pretty one?"

"Oh, God." Lily scrambled backwards and bumped into a chair. Luckily, James managed to break the chair's fall. Glancing around anxiously for the shopkeeper, he hastily replaced it. "What's up?" he asked.

"That thing – it was-"

"Ooh, and here's quite a handsome fellow. Absolutely de-_lish!" _James smirked and ran his fingers through his hair. "Oh, buy me, there's a good boy. You can spend _hours _looking at me – I just love the handsome ones, you know, and you're really quite good-looking…"

"You should buy this thing for him," James told Lily matter-of-factly. "He'll spend hours in front of it. Hell, _I _should buy this for him."

"Who's him?" the mirror wanted to know. "Someone as attractive as you, I hope?"

"More so," butted in Lily, pushing James out of the way. James scowled good-naturedly. "How much are you?"

"'Fraid I don't know, darling. I don't put the price tags on."

"If you give me ten sickles, I'll let you walk out of here with that thing," a harassed-looking shopkeeper said in accented English. She brushed pale blond hair from her face. "She's a menace, she is."

"You just don't like me because you're ugly," retorted the mirror. The shopkeeper scowled at it, and Lily took the opportunity to examine her.

The shopkeeper really _wasn't _ugly, at least not as much as the mirror made her out to be. Her pale blond hair was slightly frizzy, and pulled into a hasty knot on top of her head, held there by a pair of quills. Her large blue-gray eyes had dark shadows beneath them, and her skin was slightly translucent.

_With a bit more color and some sleep, she'd be decently pretty, _Lily thought. "Did you ever go to Hogwarts?" asked Lily. "You don't look so old."

"Oh, I'm not." The woman scowled at the mirror. "Only nineteen, love. I'm Celine, by the way. Celine d'Alsace." She brushed her hair back from her face again. "I went to Beauxbatons," she explained. "Like my papa."

"It's nice to meet you," Lily replied. "And what do you mean, this mirror is a menace?"

"Well, see, I put a charm on it – you know, so it would give out compliments. It's not such a great charm," Celine added hastily, "I only wanted to make the mirror a bit more even-tempered, you understand. It used to be awfully nasty. And, well – she's a bit better now, but only if you're attractive. If you're not…"

"That's all right. The friend I want it for is _very _attractive." Lily glanced at James and reached into her purse, feeling for her money. "I'll take it. Ten sickles, then?"

"Ten it is." Celine hurried to the register and began to ring it up. "Would you be wanting that packaged?"

"Yes, please." Lily watched in badly concealed amusement as the mirror shouted blasphemies at Celine, who was irritably trying to wrap it up. When at last she finished, she wiped beads of perspiration from her brow.

"You have no idea how glad I am that you bought this. It's awful for business, you know." Celine handed over the mirror – James lifted it before Lily could, shooting her an amused smile. "Please come again." She sounded exhausted.

"You should go lie down," Lily advised. "You look about to fall over."

"Yes, well, Papa is sick," explained Celine. "So I've taken over management for the time."

"Right," Lily said. "Well, good luck."

"Thanks." Lily noticed, with some interest, that Celine was bent over a thick book of Ancient Runes. "Come again," she added vaguely.

As they left the store, James blinked. "Weird."

"The mirror, or Celine?"

"Both. Never seen her before."

"She said she didn't go to Hogwarts," pointed out Lily, casting an amused glance at the mirror, which was still shouting muffled curses through the wrapping paper. James scowled at it and cast a silencing charm on it. "Maybe you shouldn't have bought it after all," he muttered.

"Nonsense; your idiot friend is bound to find it hysterical. So lead on. Where's this party? What's going to happen?"

"You'll see," he replied mysteriously. James led Lily down a side street to another abandoned house. "Curious how many abandoned houses there are in Hogsmeade," she commented.

"And they almost all lead somewhere that's not very abandoned at all," he replied, wincing as he gallantly held the door open for her. _The Shrieking Shack. Mustn't forget that one._

"So where does this one lead?"

"You'll see."

"I'm bound to get very sick of those words soon," she said dryly. She frowned as they stepped into the living room. It was, oddly enough, full of furniture. Several sofas, a dilapidated coffee table, a cozy fireplace, and a worn rug. "What are we going to do?" she asked. "Sit around the fire and tell stories?"

"I told you this place led somewhere, did I?" James grinned and shoved the coffee table to the side and then kicked the rug away, revealing a trap door. He bent and smartly rapped on it several times, before yanking Lily out of the way just as the door swung up. A bald, but nevertheless very handsome wizard, dressed entirely in black and wearing an earring, grinned up at them, revealing three golden teeth. Music pulsed from the area beyond the trapdoor, along with the mingled smells of perfumes, colognes, sweat, alcohol, and smoke. Lily blinked, as the very walls of the house seemed to reverberate with the noise that emanated from… _down there._ "H'lo there," he said. "You comin' in?"

"Yeah," James said, ignoring the astonished look on Lily's face. James stepped in and held his hand out to Lily, leading her in. The bald wizard – whose nametag read "Nate" grinned and shut the trapdoor, resuming his place next to it as he smoked a cigarette. James led her down the winding metal staircase, past the first two levels and down to the last one.

They were in a very large room, pulsing with music and brightly colored lights that flashed in the darkness, illuminated the many bodies of people dancing tightly together as well as a hot pink bar with a neon green sign above it, proclaiming: "Mal's."

"Where _are _we?" Lily demanded in amazement, shouting to be heard over the music.

"This," James said with his widest grin yet, "is _Maleficent's_."

X-X-X-X-X

Author's Notes: I'm sorry I took forever on this – but my life has been hectic now, and it's only going to get more so. I can pretty much tell you right now that this story WON'T be finished before HBP comes out – sorry for there. I hope you guys stick with me anyway. I know there are a lot of typos in this story, but… well, my betas have mysteriously disappeared, and I don't have time to read over this stuff – I usually just get it up as soon as possible.

So, about the chapter. Brownie points to anyone who can guess who Celine d'Alsace is. It's not obvious at all, but I swear that you WILL find out sometime soon. I'll give you a hint: going off her appearance, think who she reminds you of. And that's all I'm gonna say on it.

There are a few questions that have come up in reviews and I thought I'd take the time to answer them:

Does Sirius resemble anybody I know? -- If the question is did I model him after anybody, the answer is no. I can think of someone who seems a tiny bit like Sirius, although I don't know said person all that well, and I met him long after I began this story.

Does Joanne had a crush on Sirius? -- Possibly :) I haven't decided yet, to be honest. And it's true, if she hated arrogance so much, then why wouldn't she hate Sirius? Maybe it's not Janine's arrogance she hates… hmm.

Why is Alexia a Gryffindor? -- Hell if I know. Maybe she'll have a use in the future. Can't tell.

About the typos –- Yeah, I'm sorry. I don't mean for there to be so many, but I type really fast and I have difficult reading over my own work, and I usually take SO long to update that I hate putting the update off by a few days to email someone. I used to have betas – two of them, actually – but I don't know what happened to them. Anybody want to apply for the job?

Snape being OOC –- I guess he was, but the thing about Snape is I always figured he wasn't a snarky bastard to EVERYONE. And Janine, for all her… um… airheaded-ness and all that, is really a very intelligent person (sort of, anyway) and she IS a Pureblood. It stands to reason that they've known each other for a long time – the way I always figured Snape and James knew each other long before Hogwarts. I also figure Snape is a little different as a teenager than he was as an adult. As to how he was with Lily – in case most of you forgot (which is entirely possible, as it's been FOREVER) he has a crush on/is in love with her. Remember? That'll become important later. Snape is going to have a lot of things happen to him before the end of this fic, so… yeah. We'll see about that.

Will this fic be until the end? -- In a manner of speaking, yes. This PARTICULAR fic – A Marauder's Girl – is going to continue until the end of seventh year, and then I'm going to split and do the post-Hogwarts MWPP story. It'll be too long if I make it all in one – hell, the story is already 29 chapters and sixth year STILL isn't finished yet. So, if you're wondering how long this fic is going to be – it's going to be LONG. VERY LONG. If you can't stand super long stories, you've been forewarned. And there's a sequel to it, too – the post-Hogwarts years. That's going to be long too.

Okay, so well all know this story will be hopelessly AU when HBP comes out. That thought depresses me, and so around the time HBP comes out, you can probably expect a wait for chapters. Nevertheless, I will see this story through to its end. I won't abandon you guys, so you can count on that. My only hope is that once it BECOMES AU, you guys will stick around. You will, won't you?

Oh, and about Tom graduating in 1994 – yep, that was a typo. I'll fix it when I'm energetic enough to do so. Right now, I had to FORCE this chapter out. The next chapter will come easier. It's going to be a VERY eventful chapter for several of my characters. Sadly, one of them is NOT Lily, and NOT James either. Who does that leave? You figure it out. And I'll also be introducing a random person who's been floating around my head for a while. I ADORE this unwritten character, by the way, and I hope you will too. She's… amusing. I think so, anyway.

My last thing, I think – WHEN ARE SIRIUS AND JANINE GOING TO GET BACK TOGETHER? I'm going to take this time out to explain the dynamics of this relationship to you all. They do care about each other. They love being together, and they certainly like each other – love being a little strong at this point – but there's also a part of them that despises each other. See, they're exactly alike, which in some ways means that their relationship may not work out as well as they'd like. There are going to be a million and one fights between them through this story. It amuses me, really, because they keep going back to each other. Ever heard the phrase, "Can't live with 'em, can't live without 'em?" That's Janine and Sirius. They're miserable when they're together, but they're marginally MORE miserable when they're apart. It's not a happy, healthy relationship. But I have big plans for this couple.

As for Remus… poor boy has a lot of girls wanting him, doesn't he? I haven't even decided who I want him to end up with, particularly as I'm a HUGE shipper of Remus/Tonks. I don't care what people say; I think they're adorable together. But seeing as little Nymphadora is TWO YEARS OLD at this point of the story, that relationship really isn't going much of anywhere yet. And I don't remember whether or not I mentioned this – for those of you who were with me BEFORE all the changes I made to the story, including the Big Prank – Setting Moony On Snape – I can't remember if I mentioned this, but I'm fairly certain I took Andromeda and Ted and Nymphadora out of the Masquerade scene… It somehow didn't make sense that they'd be there anymore, so I just had Lyon – Janine's oldest brother – pull the kids off of each other when they started fighting.

So, I'm pretty sure that's it for this update. I know this was a super long note, but I had a lot of things to explain… so I'm sorry for that. I hope you liked this chapter – although it was REALLY BORING, no action at all, in my opinion – but I promise that the next one is going to be THICK with drama. …Or at least, if not the next one, then the one after it. THAT you can count on.


	30. Maleficent's

Disclaimer: Characters and settings are property of J.K. Rowling. What you don't recognize is mine. And I _wish _I owned the Marauders (specifically Sirius and Remus) but most unfortunately, I do not.

Last Chapter: Janine confesses to Lily how much she's missed Sirius; Lily and James go shopping for Sirius's birthday present and then go to the one and only night club of Hogsmeade: Maleficent's!

X-X-X-X-X

"Where are we?" demanded Lily again, her eyes as wide as saucers. She missed James's madly grinning face, as she tried to take in everything at once.

"Maleficent's," James repeated. "The one and only night club in Hogsmeade. Invitation only, mind you."

"How'd you find it, then?"

"My dear, that is to remain a mystery. For the moment, anyway." Taking her elbow, he dragged her over to the bar. "Come on."

"We can't drink, James, we're underage!"

"Aww, hush. Mal won't care."

"_Who?"_

James didn't answer, and they reached the bar with her pestering him the whole way. There were only two bartenders – one, a man with dirty blond hair was waggling his tongue at a giggling girl, showing off the tongue piercing. The other, a young woman, had hair pulled into two knots on either side of her hair, her raven locks lanced with bright purple ones. Lily couldn't help but notice the flashing rings that marched up her ears, her nose piercing, another piercing in her navel, and one more in her tongue, as was shown when she stuck her tongue out at her fellow bartender, who was now lip-locked with the flirty girl. Lily was partly fascinated and partly disgusted by the blatant display of affection.

"And here I was, thinking you weren't going to pop by anymore," the woman said in a pouty way. Lily estimated that she was in her early twenties or so. "James Potter, you give me one night of passion and then you leave me, desolate and alone-" She paused, blinking at Lily. "Hang on. This is the tremendous redhead you've been fancying for ages, right?" James turned red as Lily blinked in surprise. "Well done, James! You've finally snagged her, I see. Lucky girl. I suppose I'll just have to content myself with a sordid affair, eh?"

"I – er – she's not-"

Lily found James's embarrassment vastly amusing. He was probably worried that the woman's comments in some way violated their agreement. She let him stew for a few seconds, before explaining, "He's all yours. We're not-"

"Oh, I see. Not quite a couple, just friends with benefits, eh? No commitments?"

"We're not together," Lily insisted. "We're here for Sirius's birthday!"

The woman blinked. "Well, you've never brought around a girlfriend who's just a _friend, _James. This is new." She cocked her head and held out a hand. Lily noticed her fingernails were painted a vivid purple. "I'm Maleficent, by the way."

"No way," Lily blurted. "This is _your _place? _You're _Maleficent?" She'd expected… somebody older. Not this twenty-something woman who didn't look much older than Lily herself.

Maleficent's eyebrows shot up. "Well, I'm certainly not the _only _Maleficent, you know. It's a bit of an inherited title. My auntie opened this place years ago, and she passed it on to her younger sister – my mum, see – and then onto me." She flashed a smile at Lily. "My mum got sick and tired of running the downstairs, so she stays holed up in her office upstairs, working on the business part, and I run the downstairs and the bar."

"What's your real name, then?"

"Now, now. I only tell that to my boyfriends and my friends. And James, of course." She flashed a wide grin at him. "I've been trying to get him upstairs for years, but he never takes." James had gone red again; Lily laughed.

"I can't seem to get rid of him," she teased. "So I'll be happy to give you some pointers!"

"Oh, no, it's all right. I'll leave him for whenever you decide you need a decent shag – he'd be a right dependable stand-by, I imagine." Maleficent grinned. "Whatever I can't get from him, I get from Sirius."

Lily's smile faded slightly. From Sirius… did that mean Sirius had been cheating on Janine with her? She'd _liked _Maleficent, but now she didn't think she was _allowed _to like her… "When was the last time you saw Sirius?" she asked casually.

"Oh, over the summer." Maleficent pouted again. "The boys visited me on Petey's sixteenth birthday, and that's all. I'm right depressed without you lot."

Lily relaxed. "Oh."

"So…" Maleficent eyed James. "No advancements here?"

"Not in the least," James informed her gloomily. "And believe me, I've tried."

"Too right," agreed Lily under her breath. Maleficent threw back her head and laughed raucously.

"Ooh, I like her! First round's on me," she declared loudly. "Where are the boys?" she asked James. He shrugged. "Well, that's all right. They'll catch up soon enough, I reckon. What can I get you two in the meanwhile?"

X-X-X-X-X

Janine sat silently on a ledge in the Astronomy tower, thinking wryly that the teachers were either truly oblivious or simply didn't care anymore that their astronomy tower was used for purposes other than learning. She'd always found the place a bit of a cliché herself, and she was not one to follow the crowd and be ordinary, but she couldn't credit Evan with coming up with the number of interesting places Sirius could.

Checking her watch once more, she discovered it was now eight-thirty. Where _was _he, anyway?

As if on cue, the trapdoor flipped open and Evan Rosier strode in. Janine hopped off the ledge, brushing invisible lint from her skirt. Evan was sharply handsome, she supposed – he had a straight nose and aristocratic, arching eyebrows, set in a somewhat pale, angular face. His lips were a bit too thin for her taste, really, and his dark eyes certainly held none of the warmth she'd always found in Sirius's gray eyes.

_Don't think…_

Without a word, he crossed the expanse of the tower and swept her up tightly in his arms, his mouth hot against hers. He wasn't as good a kisser as Sirius…

_Don't think…_

Evan pushed her up against the low wall of tower, swiftly pushing her robe from her shoulders. At any other time, she'd have let him get on with it…

_Don't think… stop thinking…_

But a voice sounded in the back of her mind, and Janine could clearly see Lily's disapproving face, followed by her disapproving voice, saying disapprovingly, "Didn't I say you could do better than this scumbag? Come on, Janie – you _know _you and Sirius are happier together than you are apart, I already _told _you that. You never listen to me. You'll wish you had when Rosier leaves you without so much as a fare-thee-well, you know."

And then Sirius's face…

_Stop it… stop **thinking **about him…_

Sirius's eyes – so _disappointed, _so _sad, _without all his usual warmth – and then he was holding out his hand, "Come on, Janine. You're better than this bastard. He isn't _deserving _of you, and you know it. Come with me… you're happier with me, you know you are…" And his face split into that heartbreaking smile of his and he winked roguishly, "Come on, you know you want to…"

_Stop it… stop thinking about him… stop… _"STOP IT!"

Before she clearly knew what was happening, Janine had shoved Evan from her, as hard as possible – he crashed into the opposite side of the tower, blinking dazedly. Janine's blouse was already halfway unbuttoned – she hastily rebuttoned it, knowing she was doing a shitty job of it, but not caring, she just wanted to get covered _up…_

Evan watched in blank astonishment as she ended up buttoning her shirt two buttons higher than it had been when he'd come up. The mask of surprise was slipping, though, and now he just looked irritated. "Hell, Janine, you could have shoved me off the tower. What's the matter with you?"

She was breathing very fast, as though she'd just run a marathon. "I don't… I don't want this."

He grinned wickedly. "Sure you do. Look, I know you never much liked this place – how about we sneak into the prefect's bathroom, eh? Or we could go into a room and I'll transfigure a table into a bed, if you'll be more comfortable-"

"God, Evan – _no. _I don't want this."

He was frowning now. "What do you mean, you don't _want _this?"

"I just – I just _don't. _I don't want _any _of this. You. Me. I don't want _you._" She pressed a hand to her throat. "Just… forget it."

"Come on, Janine, we're just going to have some fun-" He reached out for her.

She ran.

It was a well-known fact that Janine Garnet didn't run from anything. She'd rather stay and fight, with her wand or with her fists. It didn't matter. She just didn't _run. _And here she was, running, ignoring his voice from behind her, "Wait! Wait a minute – damn it, Garnet, you're going to get us both caught-"

She could heard his footsteps after her and thanked all that was holy that her father had always insisted on running as good training for Quidditch. She raced down flights of staircases and through doors and around a corner-

And right into someone.

Janine landed on her backside, hard, and winced. She couldn't hear Evan anymore, she assumed he'd just _given up _– but Fabian Prewett was bending low over her, his blue eyes concerned. "Hey, you okay?" Janine scooted backwards from him and leapt to her feet. His eyes were worried. "Hey," he said again, "easy, easy. What's the matter? Are you hurt? And what the hell is wrong with your shirt?"

Janine glanced down at it and blinked. She'd missed at least three buttons, and what _was _buttoned was done all the way up to her neck. Swiftly rebuttoning it correctly, she said, "I'm _not _scared of Rosier."

"Hell, I know you're not." His face turned murderous. "Did he do something to you?"

"No, I just-" She expelled a breath. "I think there's something wrong with me."

His expression went from murderous to horrified. "You're not pregnant, are you?"

"What?" Her own face was horrified. "God, no! Of _course _not, I'm not preg– what d'you think, I sleep with everything that moves? I'm not a _slut, _Fabian!"

"I know you're not! I just – you said something was wrong, and I thought-"

"No, I just-" She blinked, and pressed her hands into her eyes. "Have you seen Sirius?"

"Black? No. Why?"

"I've got to talk to him. I've only just realized – I don't know what I was _thinking _when I took up Rosier again-"

Fabian frowned. "I didn't know you'd done that. He's not-"

"-Good enough for me, I know," Janine interrupted hastily. "Just, help me find – hell, it's his birthday. He's not going to be here." She sighed. "All right. That's fine. I'll just wait in the common room until he gets back. Thanks, Fabian."

"Wait, but I didn't do any-" Janine had turned a corner. He groaned. "Bloody hell. _Women_."

X-X-X-X-X

"JAMIE!" Sirius had made it halfway to the bar, where both Lily and James were stirring their drinks with tiny umbrellas, before stopping dead. "Er… are you mad? You've brought a prefect here."

"Lupin's a prefect, and he's right behind you," Lily replied defensively.

"Yes, but you're… well, you're Evans." Sirius blinked. "I'm confused. What's going on?"

James shrugged. He didn't feel like explaining all the details of their deal to his friends. "Forget it." He clapped a hand on Sirius's back. "Happy birthday, mate!"

Sirius grinned slowly. "Yeah, it's my birthday, isn't it? So! Did you bring me a present, Evans? Because, you know," he added quickly, "if you didn't, having _you _for my birthday is just as good."

"Keep dreaming, Black."

"I will, thanks." He winked, and then saw Maleficent behind Lily and grinned all the more broadly. "Mal! I've been positive _miserable _without you – none of the Hogwarts girls measure up, with the exception of our dearest Miss Evans here-" He winked at Lily again. She was not amused.

"Oh, none of the girls _measure up, _do they?" Sirius blinked at her hostility, and then comprehension dawned on his face, followed by a black look.

"No," he told her crankily, "_none _of them measure up. They're all… silly, and immature."

"Oh, look who's _talking,_" Lily shot back. "As though you're not silly and immature!" _Did I really find him attractive not so long ago? _"Not to mention a right arse, too."

"I'm not an arse!"

"All right, time for a second round, I believe!" Mal interjected loudly, filling Lily's cup so much that it overflowed onto Lily's hand slightly. "And a first round for you lads, too. All right there, Remus?"

"Quite fine, thanks," Remus said, sliding onto a barstool beside Lily. "Alyssa broke up with me."

"The blonde? Oh, it's okay, honey," Mal replied soothingly, "I can make you feel better."

Remus flushed. "Um, that's okay. I've had a new girlfriend since then, but-"

Lily, who'd just taken a long swig of whatever swill Mal had poured into her cup, interjected, "But she broke up with him after she caught him snogging one of my friends!" The others sniggered; Lily smirked as Remus went redder.

"_Two _girls since them? My, my, I'm behind on the times. And you, Mr. Lupin! Getting yourself all these ladies! Almost makes a woman jealous." She smiled slyly. "So when do I get a turn, eh?"

"You flirt with everybody, don't you?" Lily giggled into her drink and set it down and stood, swaying slightly. The combination of music, smoke, and alcohol was beginning to have a funny effect on her head. "So, who's going to dance with me?"

Lily saw James's eyes light up, and then he paused. The boys, as one, had turned to stare at James, waiting for him to inevitably volunteer himself. But Lily's eyes were challenging as she stared at him. _Hell. This is going to be harder than I thought. _James shoved Sirius at Lily, muttering, "S'your birthday. You dance with her."

Sirius blinked in confusion, and then smirked. "Well, then. Miss Evans?" He held out his arm gallantly.

Lily laughed. "You can dance with me if you can catch me!" Sirius blinked again; Lily vanished into the crowd with a flash of bright hair. Grinning slowly (and apparently over his three second bad mood) Sirius followed her. Remus, Peter, and James watched Sirius disappear too.

"You all right? You didn't volunteer. Why?" Peter fell into Lily's vacated stool.

"I made a deal," James explained miserably. "That I wouldn't hit on her or otherwise give any indication of my less-than-platonic feelings. For two months."

"And at the end of it?"

"If she can say I haven't changed at all, that I'm still an arse, I'll leave her alone for good. If not…"

"You go on a date," Peter finished. "You should have told her that she _had _to go on a date for those two months of peace."

"No, that would have made it worse," interrupted Mal. "She would have resented him for roping her into it. At least, this way, she can make her decision. Don't worry, James," she added consolingly, "you're a decent bloke. A bit of a prat, maybe, but still a decent bloke. Any girl with half a brain can see that – well, if they look past the arrogance and the egotism and the-"

"Right, I get it," James said moodily, before sighing. "Still, though – what if she doesn't like me, even after all this? It'll have been two months of pretending I don't like her anymore than – oh, say, Remus does."

Remus shrugged. "It's better than her hating you, don't you think?"

"I s'pose," James replied dubiously, scanning the crowd for Lily. Every so often, he'd catch a flash of red, and his heart would lift, hoping it was her – and then the red would disappear, and it sank again.

X-X-X-X-X

Lily fell into a seat at the bar, flushed and excited. Sirius had, of course, finally caught up with her – and they'd danced so wildly that people had begun to move away to avoid getting injured. She'd switched partners several times – dancing with Remus, Peter, and even a few she didn't know – but never with James.

Mal eyed her critically. "I take it you like my club, then?"

"Ooh, yes!" Lily pressed a hand to her mouth. She felt giggly. It wasn't a normal feeling for her, but she was enjoying it. "Don't you ever come out and dance?"

"Occasionally. But Jason's a bit busy now, so I can't leave the bar untended, see?" Lily looked around for the mysterious 'Jason', and assumed that he was the other bartender. "He disappeared into the back rook with Mika."

"Mika?"

"The girl you saw earlier." Mal's eyes sparkled. "That Jason. Such a flirt." She shook his head morosely. "And I always have to get him out of trouble…"

Lily threw her head back and laughed loudly. "Can I have something to drink?"

"What do you want?"

"Oh – anything. I don't care." Mal's eyes shot up, and she went about making a martini. "You strike me as a martini sort of girl," Mal told her, sliding it over to Lily before beginning to make herself one. "So. Are you in Gryffindor, too, and if you are, what year?"

"What, didn't James tell you?"

"Oh, no – all he does is wax on about how _pretty _you are, and how _wonderful _you are, and how you _never _notice him unless it's to yell at him… Beyond that, I know you have 'beautiful red hair,' 'beautiful green eyes,' and are 'just plain beautiful.' It's not much to go on, you see."

"Oh." Lily's cheeks were flaming. "I'm not _that _pretty, you know. My friends – Alyssa and Janine – they're much prettier."

"Janine… Janine Garnet, hmm?" Her eyebrows shot up. "She's come in here before, once or twice, over the summer. Jason always flirts with her, though she's a bit young for him, and James inevitably ends up 'defending her honor.' It's a bit sweet, really, although they've never dated, or so they tell me – have they?"

"Not really. I don't think there's anything there."

"Good. She strikes me as a little too fast-paced for our James. He needs someone who can keep him grounded."

"I suppose," Lily agreed with a shrug. "I wouldn't really know."

"Hmm. So why _don't _you like James? If you don't mind my asking."

"Oh… well, he's always been a bit of arrogant prat, hasn't he? I believe he pulled a prank on me when were in the first year, and that set us off on a mutual loathing. It wasn't immediate, but it happened gradually. I can't remember ever liking Potter."

"And then Sirius's dare caused him to ask you out, right?"

"Sirius's _what?"_

"His… oh, dear." Mal looked upset. "You didn't know?"

"No! What's this about a dare?"

"You're better off asking one of them… but Sirius dared James to ask you out for some reason in the fourth year. I have no idea _why… _you're better off asking one of them."

"You're telling me – you're telling me that the entire reason that Potter has been bothering me for the past two and a half _years _is because of a stupid dare!"

"Well, I imagine it stopped being about the dare after a time," she said meekly.

"I can't believe it! A dare! A _dare! _How _DARE _he?" Mal decided not to pick up on the pun just then, which was fortunate, as James had just arrived back at the bar, sweaty and panting.

"Man! I love dancing! Don't you? Mal, come dance with me!"

"I – er, I have something to do," said Mal hastily, and without another word, the bartender quickly busied herself with fixing drinks. James stared at her in surprise.

"What's up with _her?"_ He turned to Lily. "What's up with _you? _You look bloody furious."

"I just – I want a bloody explanation!" She glowered at him. "For _two and a half years… _all because of a stupid dare? Really, Potter!"

He blinked, and then the color drained from his face. "I – oh. Evans, listen, that was a long time ago-"

"Obviously not _so _long if you're still trying to get me to go out with you," she said waspishly. "You're only proving me right, you know – that I'm nothing to you, just another girl on a long list of many-"

"That's _not _true!" he snapped at her. "I just – look, it _was _about the dare, at first – but it changed! Honestly, Evans, I'm not _that _pathetic! I wouldn't wander around begging for your attention for years because of a stupid dare! Hell, Sirius had probably forgotten about it practically a week later! It wasn't _about _a dare – it was about _you!"_

"Oh, give me a break, do you really expect me to _believe _that? Potter, I'm not stupid, you know!"

"You do a bloody good impression of it!"

"Hey!" Sirius interrupted them, having just come up. "No arguing! It's my birthday, remember?" He looked from one to the other, from one furious glare to another. "Come on, Evans, dance with me again."

Lily inhaled deeply. "Fine," she said stiffly, and ignored his proffered hand, striding into the crowd. James watched her go. _Hell. That was **not **supposed to happen._

"You can never help it, can you?" Sirius asked with a slow grin. "What were you arguing about?"

"The dare." Sirius looked blank. "Fourth year," James continued, beginning to feel growing irritation. No response. "The only reason I ever asked out Evans in the first place!" he roared.

"Oh! That. She found out, did she?"

"No," retorted James sarcastically. "We were just arguing about it."

"No need to get snippy, Prongs. Want me to smoothen things over?"

"I don't reckon you'll be able to."

"Certainly can't hurt to try, can it? Come and dance with us if you feel up to it." Sirius weaved through the crowd and spotted Lily, standing uncertainly in the midst of many dancers. "There you are! Listen… about this dare nonsense…"

"I thought you wanted to dance."

"I do!" He quickly stepped up to her, pulling her hips against his, swaying in time to the music. "You do know," he shouted in her ear, just to be heard over the pulsing music, "that it wasn't his idea, right!"

"Yes, I know!" she shouted back. "It was yours!"

"Yes, well – it stopped being about the dare, sometime in the middle of fourth year! He just – he liked you, Evans! A lot!"

"I just-"

"He still does, you know!" Lily was beginning to find it difficult to concentrate. She had even more alcohol in her system now, and grinding against Sirius was doing mad things to her mind. "You're like – the center of his universe! He hasn't dated anyone else in ages!"

"I know that! Everyone keeps telling me! I just – I'm not like Janine, or Jen! I don't _like _the bad boys! I want someone sweet!"

"Well, he can be that too!" Sirius's brow furrowed. "Merlin forbid he ever finds out I said so, but he really does have a – what does Moony call it? – a heart of gold! He's a great bloke, Evans, and you ought to give him a chance!"

"That's what I'm doing!"

"You can't bloody give him a chance if you're forever fighting, Evans! Can't you kiss and make up?" She scowled. "Without the kissing part, of course!"

"I'll think about it!" she bellowed back, and then all thoughts were lost as Sirius was whisked off by a pair of Italian girls, and Remus had come to Lily, smiling, offering his hand, which she gladly took. But dancing with Remus didn't do mad things to her mind, not the way dancing with Sirius did… and without realizing it at first, she wondered if dancing with James would make her mind spin, too.

X-X-X-X-X

Lily made a pained face as she supported Remus on one side, while Sirius supported him on the opposite, and James and Peter supported one another. "You're awfully skinny," she told Remus in amusement, "and I'm really not quite sure why you weigh so much."

"Don't weigh nothing," Remus slurred.

"It's very odd," commented Sirius. "Ordinarily, _I'm _the one they all have to drag upstairs. This is a change for me. I'm not drunk."

"Yes, you are," Lily told him, and started to giggle like mad. "Just not as drunk as they are!"

"Hush up, Evans, you'll wake up the whole castle. I think you're drunk too."

"I had four martinis. And something else, too. Twice."

"You had something else twice?"

"Or maybe it was thrice. I'm not really certain, you know."

"You're certifiably drunk, then." Sirius nudged Remus. "Oy, you. Don't go off to sleep until we get back to the dorms yet."

"Urghmuffin."

"Did he just call you an urghmuffin?"

"I think so. What's an urghmuffin?"

"I'm not sure, actually. How are you two holding up back there?"

"All right, and yourselves?" James called.

"Don't be so loud, James, you'll wake up the whole castle, and then where will we be? Goodness, Janie will never believe it of me. I'm wandering around drunken with four boys whom I ordinarily loathe. Well, that's not fair. I don't loathe Remus."

"What about me?" asked Peter plaintively.

"I suppose I don't loathe you either."

"If you're drunk, I don't think you're supposed to know you're drunk," mused James. "I mean, _I _never know when I'm drunk."

"You usually find out by the next morning," added Peter helpfully.

"Perhaps I'm more lucid when I'm drunk than you are, then," Lily suggested.

"Is that possible?"

"Oh, here we are." Lily smiled benignly up at the horrified-looking portrait of the Fat Lady. ("Where have you five _been? _And you, Miss Evans, you're a prefect too!") "Drat it, I've forgotten the password. Black, do you know what it is?"

"Nope. Prongs? Wormtail?"

"Nah."

"Can't remember."

"…Well, we'll have to ask Remus then." Lily poked Remus in the ribs. "Are you awake, Loopy-whoops-Lupin?"

"Urghmuffin."

"No, I don't think that's it. Oh dear, I think we're stuck out here. What will McGonagall do when she finds us?"

"If she finds us," Sirius replied. "And then she'll put us in detention, I suppose. Not you, though. She thinks the sun shines out of your arse."

"This entire time we've been drunk, you've been very eloquent. 'Sun shines out of your arse' is not eloquent, Black. Can't you think up something more poetic?"

"Not off the top of my head, no."

"What _are _you all doing?" Janine had come out, looking scandalized. "You're lucky I'm the only one inside, you know, else McGonagall would know for _certain _that you'd all been out of bed. Although it did take me an awfully long time to get rid of Fabian. Did you have a good time?"

"Janine, d'you know the password?"

"Yes, it's 'Woodcroft' but it doesn't matter, does it, since the portrait's already open?"

"Oh, I hadn't thought of that," Lily said, and began to giggle again.

"God, you're drunk! You boys are terrible! You got Lily drunk."

"Very astute observation," Sirius told her over Lily's giggling. "Could you help us?

"What? Yes, of course." She seemed very distracted, Sirius noted, as she helped pull first Remus in, then Lily, followed by James and Peter, and lastly Sirius. "Can I talk to you?" she asked, in a low voice.

"Can we do it later? I'm going to have a bleeding headache in the morning. I'm not as drunk as they are, though," he told her.

"That's wonderful, Sirius. But I really do need to talk to you; it's very important."

"Are you going to yell at me?"

"No."

"Are you going to snog me?"

"No."

"Then do we have to do it _right _now?"

She looked irritated, and then thoughtful. "Well, I _could _yell at you if it would mean you'd listen to me."

"No, no. Help me put them all to bed, and then we'll have this talk." He grimaced. "Merlin, I hated those words. 'Can we talk?' Usually means I'm going to be accused to cheating or we're going to break up. We can do neither, because we're not dating now."

"I'm aware of that," she responded, and draped Lily's arm over her shoulder. "Come on, Lil. Up to bed with you."

"Must we? I've had such a good time. Mal is very nice."

"Oh, you met her, did she? I hope she didn't give you Maleficent's Brew. Does mad things with your mind – it makes you all happy, but it makes your head hurt like a bitch in the morning. Come on, along, Lily. Bedtime."

"Five more minutes, Mum?"

"No, dear, bedtime is _now._" Sirius was vastly amused to hear that she actually _sounded _motherly, and was gently smoothening Lily's hair from her forehead. "There's a good girl."

"Will you sing me a lullaby, Mum?" Lily yawned sleepily; Sirius snorted as Janine looked scandalized again.

"Er… all right, I'm done humoring you. I want you to know that I'm not going to feel sorry for you in the morning." They disappeared into the girl's dorms.

Sirius sighed heavily. "Well, I suppose it's time to put you three to bed, then, isn't it?" He winced. "Then Janine and I can 'talk.'"

"You have fun with that," James told him, he and Peter teetering up to the boys' dorm. Sirius glowered down at Remus's snoring form.

"Now how am I supposed to get you up there?"

X-X-X-X-X

"You took forever," Janine hummed. "How did you know I was here?"

"It is your favorite place, isn't it? I'd never known you were a romantic until you dragged me in here." Sirius shut the door. "So what's up?"

"What did Lily get you for your birthday?"

"You brought me here to discuss that?" He stared at her; she gave no answer. He shrugged. "She gave me a mirror. Very funny, actually, I think you'd like it. And a little box that I haven't opened yet." He'd forgotten about it, actually, until the moment; he pulled it from his pocket and noticed that she stiffened. "Something wrong?"

"I – no. No, nothing's wrong. I didn't bring you here to ask you that, no." Sirius opened the box; Janine avoided looking at him by looking around. The room was on the eighth floor, one of the older ones – with wide windows, a bookcase, and a lovely couch that she'd used on various occasions – sometimes to read or do homework, and sometimes for less studious purposes that usually involved one Sirius Black.

"Well." He cleared his throat. "I can't imagine _why _Lily would get me a set of dog tags proclaiming, _Sirius O. Black. Property of J. Garnet._ You have no idea how… fitting these are for me."

"Because you're a dog?" she asked, one corner of her mouth quirking up. He just shook his head, knowing that she had no idea how accurate her description of him was. "I saw them in Diagon Alley over Christmas, and I thought they were… amusing. I paid for it, so I gave it to you anyway. Even though we're not strictly together anymore."

"I see."

"Are you still drunk, Sirius?" She looked anxious. "If you are, I'll sober you up. I want you clear for this discussion."

"That serious, eh? No pun intended." Sirius fell onto the couch and stretched out, yawning. "I sobered myself up before coming."

"Charm?"

"Mmm. Didn't work as well as I'd like, though." He paused. "This is the first civil conversation we'd had since James's birthday, did you know?"

"Yes, it is." Janine sat on the windowsill. "You know, I finally decided to get together with Evan Rosier again." Sirius bolted up right, his eyes burning with fury. Together or not, the idea of her with Rosier made him jealous – although he couldn't really be jealous, not after the way he treated _her _when she got angry at him for going off with that girl on James's birthday. "We were in the Astronomy tower." She glanced up at the stars. "We were snogging. I mean, it's nothing different than what we've done before."

"I don't want to know this."

"It was going further than that, you know." Sirius looked away, his back tense. "And then… I realized it wasn't what I wanted." Sirius was completely still now; Janine wasn't looking at him, but she knew it. "I don't even – it was like a candle was lit in my head." She leaned against the edge of the window. "I kept seeing your face. I couldn't – I couldn't get it out of my head." She looked at him. "Am I pathetic?"

"You're not the first girl who's come to me saying you couldn't get over me," he mused. "On the other hand, I've never met anybody like you."

"Of course you have." His eyebrows shot up. "All you have to do is look in the mirror." In a few seconds, Sirius had gotten up and crossed the room, coming to stand just a foot away from her.

"Maybe that's why we never get along. We don't compliment each other – we mirror each other. But then, opposites don't always attract." His voice was careful. "Janine, I'm not used to commitment. You're the first steady girlfriend I've had – if you could be called that, what with us fighting all the time." He sighed. "I'm not going to give you a load of rubbish about you completing me and all that, about it feeling like I'm coming home when I'm with you. It's none of that. But there's something that just keeps coming back, isn't there?"

"I don't believe in soul mates, love at first sight, or any of that sort of thing. Some people do fit, I admit that, but I think any relationship can work if you really want it to badly enough." She breathed. "You're not perfect; neither am I. But we have something, don't we?"

"I won't promise I'll be faithful to you forever. I can't even promise I'll be faithful to you tomorrow. That's not fair of me, but at least it's the truth and I'm being honest. I could tell you I loved you right now…" She whirled and stared at him, astonished. "And I think it would be true, for the moment. I've said it a million times before, but I really do think it's true, right now. But…" He looked away. "We're sixteen, Janine. Well, you are. I'm not anymore, am I?"

"Sirius…"

"I can tell you that I love you. I can give you those assurances, if you really want them, and they'll be true. But I can't promise that I'll love you forever. I _won't _do it. Nothing is that certain. I can't even promise that I'll love you tomorrow. But for right now… well, that is one thing I _can _give you. But is that enough? It wouldn't be for most girls."

"It's not enough. It wouldn't ever be." She stood up and stepped closer to him, until they were just a foot away from one another. "But my dad always told me to seize the moment and take it for what it gives you. If you don't, you might regret it. My dad wasn't always right, but I guess he was right about that, wasn't he?" She tensed. "I've missed you. So much."

He broached the space between them and pulled her straight into his arms, crushing his body against hers. "I've missed you too," he breathed near her ear. "I've missed _this._" And he kissed her.

Within two minutes, they'd found their way to the couch, him on top of her, his hand lightly on her collarbone. "We've never gone this far," he whispered.

"I know."

"You've always stopped me."

"I _know._"

"Can you do this? Do you _want _this? Tell me now," he added quickly, "because once I start, I'm won'tbe able to stop."

Her arms came around his neck, one hand burying in his thick hair, the other fisting at the base of his neck, pulling close for another kiss. Against his lips, she breathed, "Then don't."

X-X-X-X-X

Author's Notes: So there you are, Sirius and Janine got back together. Because of that, I'll dedicate this chapter to every single reviewer who yelled at me, telling me that they HAD to get back together. So – they're back together. I told you that L and J wouldn't get any action in this chapter – well, no _real _action. And for those of you who are wondering why Lily is semi-attracted to Sirius, it's because he's DEAD SEXY and she'd have to be blind, deaf, and stupid (of which she is none) to not notice. You can certainly be attracted to someone you don't like very much. I've been through that experience several times. This does NOT mean that Lily and Sirius are ever going to have a reaction, because they won't. And by the way – the last and final scene (as well as Janine's scene with Rosier) is as close to them having sex as I'll ever get. I'm going to keep this PG-13. And this is to the reviewer (whose name I can't remember and I'm very sorry for that but I don't feel up to going through my inbox to find your name, but I love you nonetheless!) who wanted a description of Evan Rosier.

Okay, here's an important note: I know I said before that this fic would cover sixth + seventh years, but I don't think it will. I think I'm going to finish up sixth year, and then start a new one for seventh year, followed by a third for post-Hogwarts years. I'd like to restrict this fic to 40-45ish chapters – any longer, and it just gets too long. So once this fic is finished up, be on the lookout for the next one!

By the way, to the people who said they'll be willing to be my beta: Thanks! I appreciate that, and I'll let you know ASAP. I just wanted to get this chapter out because I have finals VERY soon as well as a bunch of projects due, so a big part of me does NOT want to have to wait for a reply from a beta before I can update, but I'll decide. And so you know, I'm going to be gone a big chunk of the summer: about June 18 to August 1, actually, to a place where I'm NOT going to have access to a computer – so you'll be in for a LONG wait for that. I'm really sorry, but I've got no choice.

Okay, now that I've ranted and raved enough: thanks for reviewing, and leave me another one! xoxo


	31. Carpe Diem

Disclaimer: Characters and settings are property of J.K. Rowling. What you don't recognize is mine. And I _wish _I owned the Marauders (specifically Sirius and Remus) but most unfortunately, I do not.

Last Chapter: Lily gets drunk, she finds out about James's bet way back in fourth year, Remus gets _spectacularly _drunk, Sirius and Janine eventually have a heart-to-heart and make up, and just to clear up all confusion, the answer is YES, they did have sex. Not that that won't be evident in this chapter, of course.

X-X-X-X-X

Lily awakened to find the world spinning, her head pounding, and the alcohol she'd imbibed about to come up her throat.

Jen woke up three-and-a-half minutes later to hear a retching noise from the direction of the bathroom. She glanced around the room to find two beds empty: Janine's and Lily's. "Bloody hell," she grumbled.

"What's up?" Alyssa asked sleepily.

"Looks like Lily came back from her prefect rounds after we all fell asleep and left early this morning to do more," replied Jen crankily, scowling at Janine's vacant bed. "And Janine's bed isn't even _slept _in. She was probably out partying 'til dawn and didn't want to come back completely drunk. Stupid girl."

"Why?"

"She should have taken us with her!"

"Maybe," Marlene suggested with a yawn, sitting up, "she was partying with _Rosier. _Would you want to be present for that?"

"Urgh. Good point."

"How d'you all know about Janine and Rosier?" demanded a weak voice from the bathroom. Lily gripped the sides of door fiercely, to keep herself from falling, her hair frizzy and her face pale, with deep shadows beneath them. "Bloody hell. I hurt all over and I have a bleeding headache."

"What were you _doing _on prefect rounds last night?" asked Marlene in amazement.

"I wasn't on my bleeding prefect rounds, Marly," snapped Lily. "I was with bleeding Potter and his bleeding friends in bleeding Hogsmeade getting bleeding drunk for bleeding Black's birthday."

"Okay. So reading between the lines and the many bleeding's in there, you went partying with James Potter and he got you roaring drunk. Did he take advantage of you?" asked Jen. "Because if he did, I'll kill him for you."

"No, he didn't!" Lily felt inexplicably annoyed and very much wanted to be left alone. "Where's Janie?"

"Not here. Never even came in to sleep."

"What? But I could've… she was certainly here when I came back, I do remember that…"

"Couldn't have been," Alyssa told her gently. "Janine never even came up here. You must be imagining things… then again, if you're drunk, it would make sense, wouldn't it? You wouldn't remember. You were probably dreaming… maybe even hallucinating, you know? Alcohol does funny things to your mind."

"I'm never getting drunk again," Lily moaned, pressing a hand to her mouth. "And I hope… I hope I didn't do anything stupid last night."

"You could always ask Potter," suggested Jen carefully. "He'd be the only one who'd know. Wouldn't he?"

"I s'pose. You said Janine never slept here?" Lily sighed. "I hope she wasn't with…"

The door slammed open; Lily flinched and doubled over, clutching her stomach. Janine stood in the doorway – and there was no other word for it – _glowing. _Exhausted and tired, but glowing nevertheless. She looked as radiant as a new bride, but for some reason, Lily could not picture her friend in a long white wedding dress, or even white wedding robes. Her face didn't seem to fit.

"Where've you been, Missy?" asked Alyssa in a disapproving motherly tone. "Not with a boy whose name begins with 'E' and ends with 'van', I hope."

"Not at all." Janine beamed. "Try this: starts with 'S' and ends with 'irius.'"

"So you've made up, have you?" Marlene asked. "About damn time, too."

Jen was frowning at Janine the moment she entered; now she gasped. "Oh my God!" Everyone turned to her. "You guys totally did it!"

"You can't intone God when you're talking about sex," Marlene interjected. "It's… wrong."

"Blasphemous?" suggested Jen with a wide smirk.

"That too, I guess, but mostly just _wrong_." Marlene smirked, too. "So, did you? Was it your first time? If it was, in general, or just with Black? And how was it?"

"Oh, god, that's really gross, Marly!" Alyssa shrieked, just as Lily said, "Ew, I might be sick again." There was a silence, and as one, both girls whispered conspiratorially, "How was it?"

Janine laughed. "It was – god, it was bloody amazing, that's what it was! And of course it wasn't my first time," she added in Marlene's direction. "With him, yes. In general? No. And obviously, yes, we did." She grinned.

"So where is the dashing Mr. Black, then?" Lily asked with a grin.

"He – oh…" Her voice trailed off, and she flushed. "Still sleeping, I think."

"Janine!" cried Jen in horror. "You _left _him asleep? That's part of the experience – waking up together!"

"I know, but I just…" She blushed. "I didn't want him to wake up and tell me it had all been a mistake, that's all." She rubbed her arms. "I'm going for a shower now, so nobody bother-"

"The password to the prefect's bathroom is 'Jobberknoll feathers,'" Lily offered. "Why don't you go take a long bath? It'll make you feel better, probably…"

"No – I feel like I've just been through a Quidditch tournament," she confessed, and then flushed brightly. "So – I'll just go take a quick shower, and then go for a run, all right?"

"You've been up all night and you _still _have energy?" Jen asked, smirking.

"Sod off, King!" Janine shot affectionately at her, before vanishing into the bathroom, slamming the door behind her. She added, in a loud voice, "I'll meet you girls later, outside by the lake, all right?"

Lily made a face. "Oh, hell, she's taken up the bathroom now. Does anybody mind if I'm sick out the window?" All of her friends scrambled away from her. "Gee, thanks," Lily said, and she went over to the window and leaned out, not being sick, but allowing the cool April breeze to refresh her.

X-X-X-X-X

Days passed, turning into weeks. Exams were approaching; teachers scrambled to finish teaching concepts and to assign mountains of homework that kept nearly everyone busy. Lily herself found that, more often than not, she was seated in the library, writing an essay for this subject or burying her nose in research for that one. It was no better in her friends; Marlene frequently bemoaned that her fingers were being worked to the bone; Alyssa became weepy as she got horribly stressed; Jen had taken to sitting in a corner of the common room, her dark head bent over a book, snapping at anyone that got within five feet of her; even Janine, normally the least studious of the lot, had taken to hauling around a tote bag full of library books, snarling at anyone who asked if them might borrow one, unless the person was Sirius.

There were light moments, of course – seeing Janine shove Sirius into the lake, watching him drag her in afterwards; seeing Jen and Remus talking to one another with shy smiles on their faces, and her kissing his cheek lightly as they parted; Marlene, regaling them with the newest letter from her brother as they sat, pretending to study under a beech tree; Alyssa shoving fashion magazines under all of their noses, insisting that it was already time to shop for the summer.

Oddly enough, Lily found herself spending a strange amount of time with James Potter. Since Sirius's birthday, he and Janine had been virtually inseparable, attached to the hips. It had made Lily laugh to see them studying by the lake, Janine with her feet dangling in the water as she read, Sirius with his head in her lap, listening to her read aloud from a Potions text that rather gruesomely described the effects of a potion-gone-wrong, laughing at inopportune moments at things that nobody ever found funny.

Jen and Remus, of course, would retire to corners of the library (when Jen wasn't in the common room, anyway), sitting together with their heads bent over a book, occasionally touching hands. Remus would always jerk away, as if worried that he might burn her, and every so often, Jen would gently weave her fingers in between his, or she casually shrug her shoulders under his arm, and he wouldn't try to get away from her.

Alyssa had found herself a clique of Hufflepuff girls to study Herbology and discuss fashion with. It wasn't uncommon for Lily to find her blond friend surrounded by a group of girls from their year, as well as plenty from the under-years, and even a few seventh-years. It was one of the few times that she didn't look stressed, and so Lily didn't warn her friend that she ought to study, knowing that Alyssa needed what few moments she had.

Marlene spent every moment with Fabian, sometimes just studying with him, other times massaging his tense shoulder as he studied frantically for his N.E.W.T.'s. He would always glance up gratefully every so often, thanking her for just sitting with him, and more often than not, their study sessions winded down to them sneaking behind a bookshelf or surreptitiously disappearing from the common room before anybody noticed.

Peter, too, had been studying with a very nice girl from their Charms class named Anna Bradshaw, and Lily and her friends had cooed and aww'd when they saw him walk into class, holding her hand, as his friends made loud catcalls while Professor Flitwick tried to quiet them. Lily had gone up to him later and talked to him about Anna; she was quite smart and very nice, pretty in a soft sort of way. She'd ascertained that he really did like her, and accordingly congratulated him.

This left Lily and James with not one of their friends to spend time with, and so they took time to spending with one another. She was startled to learn that, really, he wasn't quite so awful. Two years ago, and she never would have said the same thing, even a year ago, she would never have thought it. But beneath the smug, arrogant façade that sometimes appeared around large groups of people, he was generally a decent bloke.

Often, he would tell her anecdotes of his childhood, about his family, his friendships with Sirius, Remus, and Peter, as well as his friendship with Janine, the ties between their families, his favorite things to do, about his love for Quidditch. Since that first disastrous flying lesson, they hadn't had another one, and although Lily had been eager for them at first, she'd smartly decided to discontinue them until after exams.

"Lily," James asked one day, "what's your family like?"

So she told them. "My mum's got my red hair," she said, "but she looks much prettier with it. And Dad, he has green eyes like mine. And my sister Petunia…" Lily trailed off. "Well, I told you about her."

"Yes, but what're they _like?_"

"Mum – likes to cook. And sing, too. And she's an awfully good painter. And she likes to garden. I don't know – she just seems so _good _at things." Blushing, Lily added, "I tried to make toast once, and I burned it beyond belief. Haven't gone near a toaster since…"

Marlene had found this story very funny, when Lily had related it to her in the first year, but James only looked blankly at her, and asked, "What's a toaster?" She laughed at him.

Sometimes, their conversations were more serious. Once, out by the lake: "This Voldemort fellow… d'you know the girls are all afraid to say his name?"

"Can't blame them, really," admitted James slowly, picking a blade of grass. "He really is – well, he's a bit scary, isn't he? We've already lost students to him. And you know, I've heard there've been attacks on Muggles," he added in a low voice. "And, well – I'm a bit scared too, Lily. Those kids, you know? A lot of them had Aurors for parents. I don't want that happening to my Dad."

"It won't," she said comfortingly, placing her hand on his shoulder. The old Lily would have jerked away (perhaps gone and washed her hand numerous times, for good measure). This one didn't. He leaned into her hand, and after a long while, she dropped it. "Bit like Hitler, isn't he?"

"What?"

"Hitler – you know, World War II. Isn't he? Almost like genocide… he kills off Muggles and Muggleborns because he thinks they're inferior, right?"

James shuddered. "Blood superiority and all that." Taking a deep breath, he added, "A lot of people believe that, you know. Lots of pureblood witches and wizards. Like Sirius's parents. Regulus, too, and his cousins: you know, Narcissa, Bellatrix… Andromeda's not bad, and really, Narcissa isn't all bad either. I think a lot of it is Malfoy's influence on her."

"Do you know, Janine had a crush on him first year?" James's face contorted. "Oh, it's true. She was terribly obvious about it, too. If I had been a meaner person then, I would have teased her mercilessly." James made a questioning noise. "What, didn't you know? We weren't friends until halfway through second year, and McGonagall threatened to kick Janine off the Quidditch team if she didn't pull up her History grade…"

And so the conversation turned to lighter topics.

As Lily and James at last headed back to the castle, just in time for the sun to set, they saw Sirius and Janine seated on the front steps, his arm draped casually around her. The pair hadn't noticed them, and, deciding not to disturb them, they decided to go around to the side courtyard to enter from there. Even so, Lily couldn't help overhearing.

Janine snuggle up to him, leaning her head against her shoulder. "Did you love my yesterday?" she asked sleepily.

"Mm-hmm." Sirius pressed his cheek into her hair. "And I love you today, too."

"Will you love me tomorrow, though?"

"No idea. Probably, I think."

This struck Lily as such an odd response to the question that she turned around to see if he was joking. But his face was completely solemn, and his arm tightened around her.

"Carpe Diem, remember?" he added quietly. "That's your philosophy. Mine, too." She half-turned, and wrapped her arms around his waist, pressing her face into the side of his neck.

"Mm-hmm," she agreed, voice muffled. "Carpe Diem indeed."

Lily would have stayed to hear more, but James was tugging on her arm. "We're going to miss dinner," he whined, "and I get ever so disagreeable when I miss dinner."

"Prat," she replied in a friendly manner, and they walked inside in silence, as Lily mulled over the conversation.

"He told her that he wouldn't be able to love her forever," he said suddenly, breaking the silence. Lily jerked her chin up, surprised. "He said that he couldn't promise that. It wasn't in his nature. He said he'd love her for the moment, and that would have to be enough. I think she decided it was." He glanced at Lily. "Would that ever be enough for you?"

"Never," was Lily's only response. "I'd have to be completely certain that somebody would love me before I gave myself to them like she did." Pausing, she added, "I think I can understand his philosophy, though. What about you?"

She'd meant it as "Would that be enough for you" or even, "Can you understand it" but that wasn't how he answered. "I would never do that," he said quietly. "Promise someone I could only love for the moment. I'm not like that." He turned to look straight into her eyes, and it felt as if he was seeing straight into her soul. "When I love someone," he explained in a low voice, "I love them now and forever. And that won't ever change."

Lily was about to call him on that, saying it technically violated the rules of their agreement, although she hated to ruin the moment by mentioning it, and she really _was _beginning to think he might be worth it, when his stomach growled loudly and demandingly. Lily burst into laughter as James gave her an embarrassed grin.

"What a way to kill the conversation," said James when Lily was done laughing. "But if we miss dinner, I'll have to sneak us into the kitchens, and think how that would look on the reputation of a prefect?"

But since becoming friends with James and the other boys from her house, Lily had gained a slightly new perspective – and she could understand the theory behind 'carpe diem,' certainly, although perhaps not so much in the context Sirius had used it. She grinned recklessly at him. "Terrible, I imagine. Want to skip dinner and go there now?"

He grinned back. "I thought you'd never ask."

And so it was that what had initially begun as a rivalry, transformed into a mutual loathing, and soon followed by a one-sided infatuation, evolved into a friendship. Lily and James became friends, Sirius and Janine were often in their own world, as were Jen and Remus, Alyssa held a fashion court, already planning what her shop would look like when opened one out of Hogwarts, Marlene spent her spare moments with Fabian, and Peter found himself spending an increasing amount of time thinking about Anna, rather than himself and his friends.

But outside of their comfortable world of Hogwarts, a hidden war was raging. Voldemort was by no means unnoticed by the student population of Wizarding England, Ireland, and Scotland, but he was more so evident in the depths of magical society, noticed by the Department of Magical Law Enforcement as well as the Department of Mysteries, and, of course, the Minister of Magic. But there were other people keeping an eye on the current situation, as well.

People like those who skulked in the bowels of Knockturn Alley, those purebloods who were secretly terrified that, if they did not join, their families would be decimated, those who were Muggleborn and worried for their lives and the lives of their families, those who were only looking for a place to join up, and, of course, Albus Dumbledore.

Albus Dumbledore often found himself sitting awake in his office, dressed in a faded red dressing gown that a much younger Minerva McGonagall had given him, blushing. The memory still brought a smile to his face. He sat, and pondered the choices he had made in his lifetime, where they had led him, and the choices he would now have to make.

A good deal of time had passed since Sirius Black's birthday (yes, he knew all about _that _particular excursion, and he also knew that sometime after the five Gryffindors had arrived back at Hogwarts, something had passed between Sirius Black and Janine Garnet, and a seeming peace seemed to permeate the sixth year dorms of Gryffindor tower, between _all _of the sixth years – yes, all of them.)

It was now late May, and with exams scarcely two weeks away, Dumbledore saw his students scurrying about, completing last minute assignments and already beginning to cram.

And while the students studied and the professors wrote up their exams and Madam Pomfrey brewed calming draughts for anyone who was fifth year of beyond (and some particularly zealous fourth years, as well), Professor Dumbledore thought about choices, and one in particular: who to choose for the Head Boy and Girl in the coming year.

There was no question at all, of course, for the Head Girl. Not only was Lily Evans certainly the smartest witch to come through Hogwarts since, possibly, Minerva McGonagall herself, but she was an authoritative figure. Younger years looked up to her, older years and even those in her own respected her, including the Slytherins. She had an aura of power, and though she had yet to realize the complete potential of her character, she could be charismatic, even charming, as well as a loyal and good friend, a brave fighter, and she possessed a dry and ready wit. Yes, there was no question whatsoever in his mind that Lily Evans was certainly the best and most capable young woman for the job. He had high hopes for Miss Evans, and he knew he would not be disappointed.

The choice for Head Boy, however, was far more difficult. Harsh times were coming, this he knew. He would need a pair of students to lead the rest of the student body through the hardest of times. He needed someone who was a natural leader, a young man whom students flocked to as they did to Lily, but someone who would temper her stern nature, someone to lighten her mind when she burdened herself, someone as stubborn as she was, someone who could match her fiery and often temperament moods.

There was Remus Lupin, of course. Dumbledore considered Remus to be an excellent student and a wonderful person in general, but he was no leader. He was hardly a follower, of course, but students did not immediately look to Lupin to lead them in times of difficulty. Not to mention, he would never be able to control his friends; he simply loved them too much, not just for being his friends, but also for _remaining _his friends even after discovering his horrible secret. For that reason alone, Remus would never be able to keep his friends under rein. In retrospect, Dumbledore ought to have seen that from the start and perhaps not appointed Lupin prefect. Although the most likely to enforce the rules with himself, he would never do so with his friends.

Severus Snape was out of the question, certainly. Although Dumbledore held an immense respect for Snape, he knew at once that the young man would never be able to work with Lily, or with him. Snape was very set in his ways and his opinions, and there was, of course, always the possibility that he might choose to follow Tom. That was a chance that Dumbledore could not afford to take. In any case, students did not flock to Snape either.

That left the Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw prefects, of course. Andrew Cobalt and Daniel Johnson, respectively. Both were men of excellent character, like Remus Lupin, but also like Remus Lupin, neither was capable of being an effective leader. However, they seemed to be the only choices left.

Unless, of course…

X-X-X-X-X

It was a beautiful day, and with only two weeks left until exams, Lily ought to have been studying, but she kept glancing out the window, her gaze drawn to the sparkling lake. Nobody was out there; everyone was in the library or the common rooms of the Great Hall, studying. Except for Lily.

Janine came in, throwing her bag into the corner, pulling her hair free of her ponytail. For about a week after Sirius's birthday, she had been meticulous about her appearance, further straightening her already straight hair, delicately applying makeup to her eyes, picking her clothes so that they flattered her figure. It appeared to have paid off, as Sirius's eyes lit up whenever he saw her, but Lily wasn't entirely sure that had so much to do with her appearance as just with her. In any case, she'd abandoned that, proclaiming it to be entirely too much work, and more often than not through her clothes on, scraping her hair back into a ponytail.

As it was now Sunday, Janine was dressed in a pair of Jen's jeans (as most of Lily's friends tended to mix up their clothes all the time), and a blue shirt that declared loudly: "KISS ME, I'M IRISH." Lily stared. "I never knew you were Irish!" she cried indignantly.

"Oh, I'm not," answered Janine airily, stretching out onto her bed. "Lily?"

"Hmm."

"I got a letter from Lyon."

"Anything interesting?"

"Ooh, yes. He's engaged now. I got a letter from Marie – d'you know, she's really very nice, I never took the time to notice much before – and he's planning his wedding just for the end of August. Will you come?"

"I'll try. Why?'

"Because I'm certain to get horribly bored during the reception, and you always keep me entertained. By the way, here's your book on Shakespeare – I've been meaning to give it to you for ages, I just kept forgetting – did you know that Sirius has read Shakespeare? Lots of him, too." She pursed her lips. "I never took the time to notice it before, but he's really very smart. He can sing and play the piano and dance and all sorts of things, too."

Lily listened to Janine ramble for a few moments, smiling a little. Sirius hadn't wavered in his attention lately – as least, not that Lily knew of. She dearly hoped it would last.

"Do you know," she said thoughtfully, after a time, "it's really _not _the first time I've read Shakespeare. I have all of his plays in my bedroom, you know. I've even read some of them, but I never cared. I had dance tutors, voice lessons – which I hated, by the way, I'm nothing special, but Alyssa really can sing, you know – and painting lessons, of course, and all sorts of manner of things. I think I have a violin collecting dust somewhere, too. I should get it out and play again – I won all these ribbons when I was a kid. It always made me feel superior to beat out that little berk Regulus Black in the violin competitions."

Lily laughed, loudly. "And here I was, thinking you were an uncultured Quidditch-playing barbarian! This silly bint who spent all her time in the sun whacking great balls around at other people!"

"I am not!" she said indignantly, and then said, " 'Mislike me not for my complexion/ The shadow'd livery of the burnished sun.' Act 2, scene 1." Lily whistled, impressed. "Besides, I play Chaser. I don't go whacking great balls around at other people – that's what Beaters like Sirius do. _I _send great balls flying through great hoops. _Honestly, _Lily. Get it right."

Lily launched a pillow and Janine and missed completely. Janine smirked. "I stand by what I've told you before – you'd make an excellent Beater, you know, but a completely awful Chaser. Your aim is absolutely terrible."

"Quiet, wench," Lily said, grabbing her pillow out of the air as Janine tossed it back. Hugging it to her chest, she said, "It's been forever since we talked, do you know? You're always with Sirius."

"Yes, I am," Janine said, and then added slyly, "and you're always with James. Or did you think I didn't notice? The two of you looked quite cozy sitting by the lake."

"Not half as cozy as you and Sirius usually look," shot back Lily, and then she added, "Besides, it's not like we have anybody else to – oh, I give up. I do like him. He's been a terrific friend."

"But not more than that? You've only got a two or three weeks left of this, you know, before you have to give him a proper answer."

"I know, and I'm worried. I just – I _do _like him, at least I think I do. And you know – he is an awfully good kisser. But… a relationship. I'd… hate to ruin this. For you and Sirius, it was easier. You weren't friends before you started dating. Bloody hell, Janine, I don't even know if you're friends now."

"We're getting there. We don't have to be snogging every minute," she explained. "We do sit and talk, sometimes. Just like we're doing, although about less frivolous things, lots of the time."

"Like?"

"You know – his family. His parents, his brother. His cousins. Andromeda's scandal – you know, running of with that Muggleborn? Awfully brave of her, if you ask me. I'd never have the nerve to do it." She shrugged indifferently. "But then, I'd never want to. I don't plan on getting married."

"Oh, really? So there aren't going to be any little terrors by the name of Sirius Black Jr. running around?"

"Nope. I don't want that; neither does he. And even if I did… well, if I ever want marriage and a family, I know not to go running to Sirius Black. Anyway, I'm not even seventeen yet. I don't want to think about that." She blinked, and then said, "Oh, very clever. You have artfully steered the conversation away from yourself and one James E. Potter. Let's bring it back there, shall we?"

"Damn, you figured me out," answered Lily. "I just… we're just getting to be friends, aren't we? I don't want to ruin that by trying a relationship, only to find out that it ruins any chance for a friendship because it doesn't work out."

"You can't know that it won't." Janine chewed on her lower lip contemplatively. "He's going to be hurt if you turn him down."

"I know he is." Lily glanced at her hands. "The worst part is, I don't even know if I _want _to turn him down. I don't know. I think… I think I'm going to stop analyzing this and take the friendship for what it is, and make my decision when it comes right down to it." She glanced up at Janine, who was gazing at her thoughtfully. "Carpe Diem and all that, right?"

"Right, right," answered Janine, sitting up on her bed. "Right."

X-X-X-X-X

"Hey, Prongs! Never see you anymore. Things getting on with Evans?"

"Getting on just fine." James was bent over his Transfiguration book, raking his fingers through his hair as he frowned. Unlike everyone else, he hadn't started studying, and since Lily was in her dormitory reviewing her Herbology notes, James had taken the opportunity to review his Transfiguration text. It wasn't going well, though. If he thought that being near to Lily would help allay his obsession, for lack of a better word, he was wrong. He spent as much time as possible with Lily, and when he wasn't with her, he thought about her. Even now, he couldn't stop.

He'd always liked and respected Lily; since getting to know her, he only did so more. And he liked to think that she might return some of that respect, and hopefully some of that liking.

"Well, things are getting on all right me and Janine, too," Sirius said, falling onto the bed and dislodging some of James's notes, to his dismay. "Although – it's hard, you know?"

"What is?"

"Well, take this morning for example. We were sitting at breakfast – not even talking, just sitting there – and I look up and I see this seventh year, Caroline Robertson, and she's smiling at me."

"Just smiling?"

"Yes, but in _that way._" James knew what he meant. That coquettish way that clearly said: "Want to come meet me outside in ten minutes? We could have fun." He'd seen it a million times, and he knew that Sirius had as well, and he knew that both of them often indulged in it, too. "And I was thinking, I'd like nothing better to go off with her – and then I look to my right, and Janine is sitting there, tucking her hair behind her ear, and the sunlight catches her earrings, and…" He trailed off. "James, be honest. Who is the prettiest girl in our year – hell, in the _school?"_

"Janine," James answered promptly. "At least in terms of conventionally pretty. If you look at all the females, that's what you'd say, although I have to admit that Narcissa does come in as a close second. But… for me, Lily's always going to be best. I know her, I _like _her. I would never be attracted to Janine. But with Lily…"

"It's different. It's all different."

"Right. What do you and Janine talk about? _Do _you talk? Or do you just snog?"

"We talk all the time," Sirius replied. "Sometimes it's about class, sometimes it's about people, and sometimes it's about… _Him._" They both knew which 'Him' he meant. "And my family, of course. I really can tell her anything, you know. Sometimes I worry, if things don't work out, will I regret telling her so much? And then I think – Carpe Diem. It's the most important thing right now. Our lives… won't go on forever. I have to take what I can get, when I can get it. You know?'

"Which is why you told her you couldn't love her forever."

"How the – she told you, didn't she?"

"She wanted another opinion. Not one of her friends' opinions. I don't think she told them, thought. I have to say, Padfoot, that I can't understand that way of thinking."

"Well, no, you can't. You've been in love with Lily Evans – I mean _really _in love – since about fifth year, right? Besides, you've been surrounded by a loving family your whole life. When you love, you love _completely _and with all of you. I think… I think I'm too scared to do that." He paused. "I think Janine is too scared to do that, too…"

"I suppose." James looked out the window. "Am I wasting my time on Lily? What if she rejects me? What if she doesn't like me like I think she does? What if she's only doing this to shut me up once and for all? What if she doesn't even want to be my friend after this silly deal? What if-"

"What if the grass turns red and the sky turns green and your hair lies straight and your eyes get better and your nose falls off?" James blinked in surprise. "You can what if yourself to death, Prongs, and it won't change things. Carpe Diem. Remember?"

"Yeah. Carpe Diem. Sure." James sighed, and tried to focus on Transfiguration again. But he had been looking at the lake, and he remembered sitting there, just talking to Lily about nothing important – and he remembered the way the sun had caught her reddish-orange hair, making it gleam and shine, and the way she had laughed, and it was so infectious that he had too, and the way her green eyes had danced when she stopped, saying, "You're going to give me a stitch in my side, _stop!" _and then he'd pounced on her, tickling, and even though it hadn't been innocent in his mind, it had _felt _innocent, and it was nice, just to be having a good time with Lily, forgetting about all the other things, their friends, that their friendship was a fake, just a deal, and most importantly, forgetting about the darkness that was steadily growing outside of Hogwarts.

X-X-X-X-X

Author's Notes: End of chapter 31! (or Chapter 30, seeing as the first one was the prologue…) So, I know this chapter was a bit long-winded and probably boring for a lot of you, but I have to say that I had SO MUCH FUN writing it. I really like this chapter, and I have no idea why. Anyway, I've been reviewing my earlier writing – you know, the beginning chapters – and I think it's time to rewrite. Not going to change anything major, mind, just some editing and replacing a few choice words so that the story flows better, that's all. Don't worry: none of you have to go back and reread; this is just for my own personal satisfaction.

So, apparently this story is going to finish a lot faster than anticipated. Who knows? Maybe you guys will get lucky and I'll finish before I disappear for the summer… or maybe not. We'll have to see how it goes. Anyway, I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter – although I guess it was boring, wasn't it? It does give you a nice view in Sirius, Janine, Lily, and James's minds. I think, in the next chapter or so, I'm going to focus more on my other characters, maybe bring Bellatrix or Snape in for a brief cameo; not really sure.

One last note: When I post the last and final chapter to this story, I will post the first chapter/prologue of its sequel simultaneously, so you don't have to wait. Strangely enough, I've already begun writing parts of it – even though I have finished this. It's going to be called "Shades of Gray" or "Shades of Grey" – British spelling, that is – I think. That is subject to change. Anyway… leave me a review PLEASE! Thanks - xoxo


	32. Tragedy at Diagon

Disclaimer: Characters and settings are property of J.K. Rowling. What you don't recognize is mine. And I _wish _I owned the Marauders (specifically Sirius and Remus) but most unfortunately, I do not.

Last Chapter: Lily and James spend lots of time getting to know each other; everyone gets prepared for exams. Not a particularly eventful chapter, in terms of drama and action. Sorry about that.

And before I forget, Carpe Diem translates to "Seize the day." It's Latin, and it basically means to live each day as though it were your last, with no regrets. It seemed to fit Janine and Sirius's POV.

X-X-X-X-X

Humming to himself, James headed down the stairs with Alyssa and Lily, listening to the two girls on either side of him chattering, giggling about something or another. It was a fine day. There was one week left for exams, and ordinarily, everyone would be spending the Saturday studying, fighting over books, arguing over the validity of this Potions text or another, begging one another for notes (and, in some cases, trying to buy/sell brain stimulants to each other in hopes of either getting a better grade or making some good pocket money. Wandering around with Lily, James had already seen her confiscate seven in the last week alone.)

But nobody was doing the usual things today, for one simple reason: everyone was in a high state of excitement, anticipating the Quidditch Final between Gryffindor and Ravenclaw. James wasn't nervous – he never was – but Damien Garnet had worked them all to the bone the night before, and Janine had flat-out refused to eat any dinner, and it was unlikely she'd eat any breakfast either, and Jen was chewing her nails to uneven stubs. Cassie Barrington was feverishly muttering all the Seeker moves she could think of to herself, while Benedict Rennet had taken to pouncing on James or Janine in the hallway in the past week, looking hectic and harassed, demanding to know if they'd been practicing their formation on their own time, and how good were they, because he hadn't had much time to study, with N.E.W.T.'s and all, you know?

Only James and Sirius remained confident. They would win. They always did. Cassie was a good Seeker, and even on an off day, James, Janine, and Benedict could pick up the slack with their Chasing abilities. Ravenclaw was good this year, but then, so was Slytherin, and the Slytherin team in general played much dirtier, and Gryffindor had still beaten them.

Yes, there was nothing to worry about.

But when James, Lily, and Alyssa entered the hallway, chatting unconcernedly, James had been the first to see the pale, drawn faces, to hear all the horrified whispers, and to see the teachers up at the tables, looking so very sad, and to see the conspicuous absence of his best mate, his best mate's girlfriend, as well as the team's Seeker. Looking around the Hall, James noticed others missing, as well, and as he realized why, his face drained of all color.

By now, Lily and Alyssa had noticed as well, and were shooting one another curious, if cautious glances. "What's going on?" Alyssa asked, frowning. People had begun to notice her, and were whispering behind closed hands as they spotted her. She looked down at her outfit; it was quite clean. "Do I look all right?" she asked Lily uncertainly.

"You look fine. I imagine some idiot is spreading stupid rumors or…" She trailed off at the look on James's face. "James? What's wrong? You look as though you've seen a ghost."

"What the bloody hell is going on?" Alyssa demanded irritably. People had begun to notice her, and were pointing and whispered. "Oy! What are you staring at?" she snapped a passing Hufflepuff second-year, who gave a terrified squeak and quickly hid his eyes. She turned and scowled at James. "James Potter, if you know something, you had better tell me right now."

"…Owls," he finally choked out. Alyssa turned, and frowned slowly. Littered around the hall were black envelopes with the Ministry seal, and comprehension began to dawn on her face. Lily continued to look confused; meanwhile the color drained from Alyssa's face. On Gryffindor table sat one unopened envelope.

"Oh, no," she began to stammer. "Oh, no, no, _no…_"

"What's going on?" asked Lily, giving her a concerned look, and then looking to James. "Somebody tell me what's going on!"

"Miss Comforts, I think you had best come with me," a voice said gently from behind them. Professor Dumbledore stood there, a terribly sad look on his kind, old face. "I will take you to my office."

Alyssa started off wordlessly, as Dumbledore look to James. "I don't suppose, James, that you've Sirius?" he asked softly.

"No," James answered. "But I imagine he's off with Janine, or something." His blood ran cold. "What happened?"

"I'm afraid I am unable to disclose that information at the moment," Dumbledore said softly. "However, if you do see him – or perhaps happen to discover where he is – please let me know, or send him to me at once."

"Is he in trouble?" inquired Lily. "Is Alyssa? Professor, I don't know what's-"

"Ah, Miss Evans – I forget, sometimes, that you are a Muggleborn witch. The black envelopes are formal notices from the Ministry of Magic…"

"…Signaling a family member's death," James finished hollowly. "Professor, I've really got to know what happened – Sirius is my best friend-"

"Me, too," insisted Lily, "Alyssa is my friend, and I suppose Sirius is too-"

"It would be a gross violation of the rules that accompany these envelopes to notify anyone other than the family members of the contents, if they do not already know," Dumbledore informed them softly. He paused, and added, "I apologize, Lily, James." Turning, he went down the hall after Alyssa.

Lily's eyes were bright with tears. "I… oh, I don't know what to say. Or what to _do._ D'you think Janine got one? What about Cassie Barrington, d'you think she did?"

"I don't know," James whispered vacantly, and he turned to look around the Great Hall. Again, he could see a number of faces missing. Lily blinked away tears, and James, ignoring his mind as it screamed at him not to, opened his arms to her. And she dove into them and pressed her face into his shirt, and his arms tightened protectively around her, as though he could keep the world's evils away just by holding her like that forever. He rested his chin on top of her head, feeling worse by every minute, but glad that he could feel her heart beating just next to his. "I just… don't know."

X-X-X-X-X

Dinner that night was a somber affair. The Quidditch match had, of course, been cancelled; James, despite his best efforts, could not find Sirius, and when he rushed up to his dorm to find the Marauder's Map, he discovered it gone already. Janine had, at long last, appeared from dinner; her eyes were red rimmed, and her skin was scarily translucent, as if though she were completely drained of all energy; she refused to say where she was, or even if she knew where Sirius had been, despite numerous questions from the other three boys.

At the end of the dinner, Dumbledore stood up, his face heavy and sad. James realized, with some shock, that Dumbledore really as quite old – it had never really occurred to him before, because the man was such a pillar of strength, but now he just _looked _old. James shivered; Lily, next to him, shot him a concerned look.

"As many of you have heard – be it through the gossip chain that exists here, or perhaps from the _Daily Prophet _– there was an attack in Diagon Alley today. A very large-scale attack; many of you have lost friends or family in it. Tonight we remember those who died at the hands of the man who calls himself Lord Voldemort.

"I am afraid the Quidditch Final will be cancelled in light of recent events, as well as the last Hogsmeade visit of the year – for your own safety. I do sincerely apologize, and I offer my sympathies to those of you who have lost someone.

"I ask you all to look around yourselves, and find the people whom you have regularly sought out to spend time with, and then those that you have not. We are at war. Now is not the time to divide ourselves and remain within our comfort zones. Hogwarts will protect you for as long as it can; in return, when you leave our hallowed halls, you must try to give something back. Befriends those you have not. Now is not a time for division amongst ourselves.

"As a very wise Muggle by the name of G.P. Morris once said, 'United we stand, divided we fall.' And he is right. We _must _stand together, or we risk falling to our knees in the face of a terrible man, bent on the destruction of the world we have built. Because _we are at war_.

"I ask you to think carefully on what I have said, as I bid you good night. Please return to your dormitories at this time. I understand that it is early, but I would see you all safely into bed this one night, to know that you are there, considering what I have said. I bid you good night."

There were a few moments where nobody moved; everyone stared silently at Dumbledore, some with incomprehension, others with sad understanding. Over at the Slytherin end, some stared at Dumbledore with silent derision. James saw Snape's face, and was astonished to discover that the boy was staring at Dumbledore with the same look he himself had on his face: one of grim determination. He looked at Lily and saw a similar expression.

X-X-X-X-X

Lily was the first to enter the dormitory, and she wasn't at all surprised to see Alyssa plopped on her bed, her eyes red-rimmed, clutching a pillow. "She left me the shop," Alyssa said thickly. "She… she had a _will, _and everything. Since the last attack on the Alley. It's like – it's like she _knew. _She knew they were coming for her."

Lily didn't have to ask whom she was talking about. Lily knew that Alyssa loved her family dearly, but that her aunt Cecilia was by far her favorite.

"Well, she left it to both of us," Alyssa continued in soft tones. "Me and Brianna. I don't – I don't know what we'll do with it. Continue the sales, I suppose. I've been drawing designs in my head for years, but you know, I'd feel so useless if I owned a _dress shop. _Dumbledore told me we were at war, and that each of us had to consider where we wanted to be in the war, how we wanted to be a part of it. I asked him what he meant, and he just shook his head…"

"Oh, Alyssa." Janine sat on her bed and put her arms around the other girl; as if like that, the other clustered around Alyssa gently, sitting on her bed, not too close, but not so far away. They offered comfort without encroaching too much on her space. Alyssa gave them all a watery smile.

"Thanks for being here for me, guys."

"As if we wouldn't be," Jen said, sniffing. Her eyes were watering; she hastily drew a hand across them, muttering about dust in her eyes.

"It's just…" A tear slid down Alyssa's cheek, and then she looked up fiercely and angrily. "It isn't bloody fair, is it? What right does he have to go around killing poor people? I just – it isn't fair!" she spluttered, and pulled away from her friends and went to stand by the window. "I'm going to do something about it someday," Alyssa said coldly, her blue eyes glinting. "Dumbledore – I think I know what he meant now – I won't sit back. I _won't. _I'm not going to sit back and let them do it for me. I'm going to fight, too."

And she looked so fierce, just then, so much stronger and bolder than Lily had ever seen her, that Lily often wondered in the years after that day if it was in Alyssa's expression that she had first understood that they _were _at war, and that nobody was going to be able to fight the war for them, that they'd have to fight it themselves, and they'd have to _survive_, even if it was with no one to help them

X-X-X-X-X

In the other dormitory, the situation was the opposite. Sirius's bed had a gentle slope to it, as if he'd lain down there without getting under the sheets, and then left before the others came back. James looked tiredly at the bed, wishing that Sirius would come to him, to _talk _or something, but Sirius didn't come. Hours crept by as the three boys – that is, James, Peter, and Remus – sat in complete silence. James sat on his bed, fiddling with a snitch but never actually letting it go; Peter lay on the floor, chewing on a quill as he thought of things to write to Anna, but never actually writing any of it; Remus sat propped up against his pillows, reading a book, but James knew he wasn't really reading, for the pages never turned and his eyes never moved.

At half past three, Sirius trooped in, looking exhausted and angry, muttering under his breath like a madman. His entrance only testified that his three friends had been waiting for him; Remus leapt off his bed, the book falling from his hands; Peter jumped up from his place on the floor, as if electrified; James completely let the snitch go and zoom off as he got to his feet.

"Where have you been?" they all asked at once, and then they all winced, for it sounds too much like an interrogation.

Sirius threw himself on his bed, and muttered, "Uncle Alphard."

James flinched. Sirius didn't like most of his family, but the youngest of the three Black brothers (of which Orion Black, Sirius's father, was the middle) had always had a close bond with his somewhat wayward nephew, and undoubtedly Sirius was taking the news of his death very hard.

The three boys stood uncertainly away from the fourth Marauder, as if unsure what to do or say. Finally, James said very quietly, sitting on the bed, "I'm sorry, mate."

"Yeah." Sirius's face was buried into his pillow, his dark hair a stark contrast against its whiteness. "Me too."

X-X-X-X-X

Sirius sat sullenly in a squishy armchair before the Headmaster's desk, scowling down at his shoes. Dumbledore said nothing to the boy – no, young man – before him, not for long moments. At long last, he spoke.

"Mr. Black, you were gone for a very long time yesterday."

"I didn't go anywhere."

"No one was able to find you." The old man's voice was somber and quiet. "I understand that you're in pain-"

"I really don't see the point to his conversation," interrupted Sirius sulkily. "D'you want to know where I was? Fine, then. I was on the roof the North Tower. I flew up there, and Janine found me. She stayed up there with me for a few hours, and then I sent her away."

"And you sat up there until three in the morning?"

Sirius blinked at his Headmaster, as if wondering how he'd known that, and then nodded tightly. "I needed space."

"You could not find space within the castle?"

"It was too stuffy. I couldn't breathe." Sirius closed his mouth, as if he didn't feel like having this conversation. "You wanted to know where I was; now you do. Can I go?"

Dumbledore stood up. "I understand that your uncle's assets are now yours, is that correct? He left everything to you."

"Yeah, he did. Said I was the only decent Black, and after all that'd happened last summer…" Sirius's eyes narrowed. "I s'pose you know about that, don't you? About me staying with the Potters? Who'm I kidding… 'course you do. You sent me my letter there."

"One does not have to know where another is to send them a letter," Dumbledore corrected gently, but then he nodded. "Yes, Sirius, I was made aware of that when your mother wrote to tell me so."

"She noticed, did she?"

"You are a very conspicuous presence wherever you go, Sirius, so it is only natural that one would notice your absence. That aside, she _is _your mother."

"I dunno. I think I might have been adopted." Sirius knew that wasn't true; he was the spitting image of his father. There was no doubt in anyone's mind where he came from; what his parentage was. "What did you call me here for?" he finally muttered, after a few moments' silence.

"To discuss the burden that has been placed upon you."

"Uncle Alphard's barrister has scheduled a meeting with me once I've finished exams and am out of school for the summer. I won't be going back to the Potters' – I can't. I've… been imposing for years. It's time I got my own place. I'll have the money, now. I'll get a job. I can do it."

"I believe you can. You are a survivor, Sirius, because surviving is what you do best, no matter the circumstances." Sirius shrugged indifferently. "Have you given any thought to your future?"

"'Course I have," Sirius mumbled. "I've just told you what they were."

"Not that – once you've finished Hogwarts. Graduated and moved on."

"Dunno," Sirius grunted. "I'd originally planned to get a flat with James, but I'm just going to get one on my own, I s'pose. I'll get a job next summer, and then I'll think of something to do afterwards. I dunno. I think I might like something that involved travel. Getting away from England. It'd be nice."

"I have no doubt it would. You might consider a Curse-breaker, were times not as they are." Dumbledore leaned forward, steepling his fingers, looking at Sirius intently over his half-moon spectacles. "I take it, then, that you do not plan to go into Quidditch?"

"Quidditch is for James and Janine," said Sirius. "It's a nice hobby for me."

"I rather expected that. I don't imagine you'd be content with a life of playing a professional sport, not when you have so much to give the world." Dumbledore sighed. "Your marks are good, Sirius – despite your apparent disregard for the general idea of studying. If you continue to keep you grades up through your seventh year, you would be eligible for virtually any job. However…"

"I've thought about being a Curse-breaker," Sirius finally admitted, "but seeing as we're at war – 'cause we are, aren't we? – I thought I might do something more… useful."

"My sentiments exactly," replied Dumbledore. "Have you given consideration to becoming an Auror?" Sirius's head snapped up. "You are taking the classes necessary now," Dumbledore continued, "and despite your reckless behavior earlier this year, I might be willing to give you a recommendation for the training program, if you can prove to me that you have learned from the incident in November."

"I have," Sirius murmured, shame-faced.

"There is no shame is mistakes, my boy. Your mistake was a bit more severe than others, but there has been no lasting harm done, so long as you learn from it." Dumbledore studied him. "I understand your wanting to get a job and support yourself, but you _will _be able to apparate this summer – provided you pass the examination, of course – and even if you can't, you could always use floo powder. Have you ever heard of L'Académie Magique de Paris?"

Sirius glanced at him, perplexed. "Sure," he finally said, after a few moments. "It's that post-school study program, right? One of the best in Europe. A lot of Beauxbatons students go there, I remember someone mentioning it to me – might've been Andromeda."

"She did consider attending, before she eloped," said Dumbledore slowly. "If you apply now, you could take summer courses in Defensive Magic to better prepare you for an Auror Training Program. I do think it would certainly be beneficial, should you wish to pursue a career in the Department of Magical Law Enforcement – or perhaps a career in the Department of Mysteries?"

Sirius stiffened. His father worked in the Department of Mysteries. "No thanks," he said dryly. "Magical Law Enforcement… d'you think I could do it?"

"I believe you would make an excellent Auror, Sirius, but do not be misled: it is far more work than you can imagine."

"I could do it," Sirius said fiercely. "I'd become an Auror – get them back for what they did to Uncle Alphard-"

Dumbledore carefully hid his alarm. "I do not suggest this to you as a venture of revenge, Sirius. I suggest it to you as an opportunity to fight in this war, to fight for the freedom of yourself and your friends, and to do something that I truly believe you would excel at."

Sirius hesitated. "I… I want that, sir. Truly, I do. But Uncle Alphard…"

"Would not wish you to lose your head over his death," Dumbledore said firmly. "He would, I believe, be proud to see you do such a thing with your life, however. I have applications here, Sirius, and although L'Académie Magique de Paris will certainly lighten your pockets, it would be an excellent course of action. You could take night classes, and work during the day, if that is your wish."

"D'you have the applications? Sir?"

"Yes, I do." Dumbledore reached into his desk and handed them over to Sirius, watching patiently as the eager young man began to fill out the forms excitedly. Sirius Black was a brilliant young man, rash and reckless though he was, and Dumbledore was elated to see one of his brightest students channel his potential into something so useful.

X-X-X-X-X

With the tragic disaster of Diagon Alley weighing heavily on all of their minds, (not at all helped by the number of articles in the _Daily Prophet _and virtually every magazine in the Wizarding World, detailing the tragic losses of a family, or simply showing pictures of the multitudes of damage at Diagon Alley), most students went into the exam week with feelings of depression and the particularly distinct feeling of being completely unprepared.

As the nine Gryffindor sixth-years emerged from their first exam – Potions – Janine moaned, "I failed!"

"Don't be ridiculous," Jen told her waspishly, "you don't _fail _at Potions; your bloody good at it. Now when we get to History, you're screwed over. Your Charms work is shoddy, too, and if you'd been paying more attention at Transfiguration, you certainly be better-off, and-"

"Jen, shut up," Remus said wearily, resting a hand on her shoulder. To everyone's amazement, the dark-haired girl quieted, although with a rather sullen expression of her face. She shot Remus a very wry smile nonetheless, and as he returned it, Alyssa pointedly looked away and walked a bit faster, away from the others.

"What's up with her?" Jen said. "Surely she's not upset about us, is she?" Remus elbowed her lightly.

Janine shrugged indifferently. "Davy Gudgeon broke up with her. Said the stress of N.E.W.T.'s was getting to him, and he didn't have time for her anymore. He's right, of course, but he was rather hasty about it, and she's still a bit upset. I suppose seeing any other couple doing all right is bothering her."

Jen looked unconvinced, but she nodded. "Oh." She sighed, pulling Herbology – the next exam – notes from her bag. She shoved them under Remus's nose. "Quiz me, would you?"

"You'll be fine, Jennie," Marlene told her comfortingly. "You studied; we all did."

"Look at it this way," said Lily cheerfully. Of the group, she was the only one who didn't seem even the least stressed by the exams. "Next year will be worse, so we should be grateful for the exams we have now, right?" Nobody seemed to like that sentiment; Janine shoved Lily lightly, so that she stumbled into Peter.

"Piss off, Evans," Janine said, but it was rather good-naturedly concerned her temperament as of late, and she added thoughtfully, "Sorry, Pete."

"S'all right," Peter mumbled, shaking his brown hair from his eyes. "You're not worried, are you, Lily?" he added to her. "I mean, I'm bloody terrified, but you've studied, so you're not worried?"

"Not at all," Lily replied smoothly. "I was a bit about Transfiguration, of course, because McGonagall's exams are always difficult, but James and I studied together, so I'm not so much anymore."

"Studied together, did you?" Sirius asked, waggling his eyebrows. Since his uncle's death, he'd made a concentrated effort to be as cheerful as possible – he'd informed James that Alphard wouldn't have wanted him to be depressed, and it was much better idea to take life as it was and enjoy it while he could. James wholeheartedly agreed, as it meant he didn't have to put up with Sirius's fits of moodiness. Besides, he hated to see Sirius moping. "Is that what they're calling it now?"

James elbowed him. "Hey! Our relationship is strictly platonic." He smiled an achingly handsome smile at Lily. "Isn't it?"

Lily felt the beginning of butterflies in her stomach. "Er – yes. Platonic." She saw Janine watching her beadily and ignored it.

Spending more time with James really did mean getting to know him better. At first, Lily had enjoyed his simple companionship, reveling in the fact that he wasn't hitting on her, or asking her out, or even dropping loaded remarks and hints. She liked him as a friend, but she was strongly suspecting that she was starting to like him as much more than that.

When he smiled at her, she felt nervousness fluttering in her stomach; when he laughed, she couldn't help but notice how deep and nice-sounding it was, how the action made his very white teeth flash; when he spoke to her, she saw how very nice his warm hazel eyes were, how comforting and friendly but with underlying depths that, in some way, terrified her…

_Bloody hell, _Lily thought desperately, _I'm falling for James effing Potter!_

"Lily?" He looked concerned for her, gently taking her elbow in a platonic gesture to bring her back to the present. Nevertheless, she felt the urge to jerk away as though his touch burned. "Are you all right?"

"Oh, I imagine she's just fine," Janine interjected smartly, her eyes gleaming in a way that Lily did not like. Since that conversation in the dorms, Janine had taken to tormenting Lily in front of their friends at every opportunity, and when it was just the two of them, she'd been pushing Lily to end that stupid deal by asking James out herself. "Aren't you, Lily?"

"Just fine," Lily replied softly, her eyes trained on Janine. James frowned, looking from one girl to another, failing to notice the direct warning looks that Lily sent her friend, oblivious to the devilish sparkle in Janine's eye.

"Of course we are," Janine replied airily. "Walk with me, Lil? I want to pick your brain about… Herbology."

"Pick Marlene's," Lily said flatly. She'd had enough of Janine's pushiness, and was beginning to get irritated. "I've just remembering something I have to ask Professor Cetearyl, so I'll need to go back."

"Want me to come with you?" offered James at once. "I'm not hungry, anyway."

"I – er – no, that's all right," Lily said, flushing, trying to ignore her friends' peculiar expressions. "I'll just – you go ahead, and I'll catch up."

"Are you sure?" he asked, genuinely concerned. "You know, you're terribly feverish-looking; are you sure the stress of exams isn't getting to you? I'm sure you did fine on your exam," he continued soothingly, "so let it go and come have lunch, Lily."

"No, that's all right, I really do have to ask him something, or else it will bother me and I won't be able to study for Herbology," she lied desperately.

"You know, I think I have a question about question #4," Janine said thoughtfully, a slow smirk forming across her lips. "Why don't I come with you?" Despite its phrasing, it wasn't a question. Lily scowled.

"No!" she snapped out, so vehemently that even Janine looked astonished. "Just – go ahead to lunch," she said, silently fuming. _Doesn't she know when to leave well enough alone? _"I'd rather I went by myself."

Janine's face had become closed; Lily knew what followed now. Janine would fall into a sullen silence, looking sulky and pouty, and would give Lily the silent treatment until Lily spilled anything that was bothering her. Usually it worked; Lily was determined not to let it work now.

_When did my best friend become such a bloody brat? _Lily wondered irritably. Turning, she hitched her bag higher up her shoulder and stalked down the hallway. _Well, hell, if she's going to be brat about it, fine then. I'm not playing her stupid little manipulative games anymore._

"Lily – wait!" Lily paused, and allowed Marlene to catch up with her. "Janine was-"

"-Being a brat?" Lily suggested. "You know, I've never noticed before, but she can be bloody insufferable sometimes. Either that, or Black is rubbing off on her more than I thought, and while it's charming on him, it's annoying on her."

Marlene shrugged. "You know that her father indulges in her every little whim. Can't bear to discipline her… I reckon that the time back in Diagon Alley, over break, well, that was a first for her, which is why she really blew up. You've just got to ignore her. She's like a puppy. If she doesn't get attention, she comes to you."

"I'm starting to think Joanne Gainsborough is a bit right about her," Lily muttered thoughtfully. "She's driving me nutters lately."

"Yes, well," Marlene said noncommittally. "Anyway – don't be too angry with her, yeah? It comes from nearly seventeen years of being treated that way. I have to admit, despite their incessant fights, I think Sirius is good for her," she said suddenly. "He doesn't put up with her bitch fits all the time – most of her boyfriends are the ones to apologize when _she _throws a fit. Didn't you notice?"

Lily pursed her lips. "No, I never did."

"Well, of course not. You've been such good friends, you never took the opportunity. Now that you're spending more time with James than with us…"

Lily's insides squirmed guiltily. "Yes, that – oh, I'm sorry, Marly, I feel awful about it-"

"Don't you dare," Marlene interrupted with a smile. "There's nothing wrong with having him for a friend, but Lily, it's not just Janine. We've all noticed, you know. Are you… falling for him?"

"I might be," Lily replied carefully. "But I prefer to leave _that _particular train of thought alone for now."

"You have to think about it some time."

"Yes, I do, and when that time comes, I will. Until then, I refuse to let it distract me."

"Sometimes things are better if you just confront them, Lil."

"Oh, I know. Weren't we talking about Janine?" she added, in a pathetic attempt to distract Marlene from her current line of questioning. Marlene smirked, to let Lily know that she wasn't buying her ploy, but shrugged anyway. "I just wanted to tell you not to let her get to you, that's all."

"I don't plan on it."

"Good. Because, you know, she's still our friend, but she _is _petty and childish sometimes – it's just the way she was brought up; she never knew when to cut back and let go. But one of these days, Janine will grow up and stop being a right spoiled brat, and she'll become an absolutely lovely person we'll all want to kill because she'll be so damn perfect."

Lily snorted. "Oh, yes. I just hope I'm alive to see the day." The two girls grinned and burst into laughter, and went onto lunch, Marlene helping Lily to invent a reason for her seeing Cetearyl, and what his imagined response might have been.

Very quietly, James, who had been standing around the corner and listening to every word that was said, pressed into the shadows as the two girls passed, feeling elated. In just a little over two weeks, James would ask her out, and so long as Lily was being truthful with Marlene and he'd read the signs right, she'd say yes and give him his chance.

Now, all he had to do was make sure that Lily never found he'd been eavesdropping and keep himself from screwing everything up somehow.

X-X-X-X-X

A/N: So I know Janine was a major brat in this chapter, but somebody made the comment that she seemed too perfect, which is sort of true. We've only seen her good side recently, and I figured it was time to clear up Janine's character: NO, she is not a bad person. She is, however, a rich, spoiled brat and a daddy's girl. Like Marlene says: she's not used to not getting her way, because all she ever had to do was run to Daddy when she wanted something, and she'd get it. Janine is far from perfect. Yes, she is pretty. Yes, she is athletic. Yes, she is quite intelligent. The problem is, she's vain and spoiled and is prone to sulking and pouting when she doesn't get her way, which I hope was evident. Personally, I'd rather be Lily than Janine (even though Janine does have the drop-dead-gorgeous-and-outrageously-sexy Sirius for her boyfriend. I'd want him for a boyfriend too). Mostly because Lily is, overall, a better person. Does that make sense?

Okay, so here's the REALLY IMPORTANT PART! I am going to be gone. Sorry, but I won't have access to a computer until some time in August, so… yeah. No updates between now and then. On ANY of my stories. Sorry. And just fyi… I'll probably lose some steam once HBP comes out (even though I don't get to read it until August… sob) because it will depress me to know that this story has become absolute, irrevocably, blatantly AU. (Alternate Universe, for those who don't know. As in… non-canon. Never going to happen. How tragic). Nevertheless, I will try my best to finish all of the Marauder years, and I may or may not do what would happen in my version of Harry's sixth and seventh years. Or I may just decide to kill of all the characters but for the strictly canon ones (which would be mean and would pretty much destroy me)… but that's unlikely. I'll probably just write up until Lily and James die, and leave it hanging, unless I get the sudden urge to go ahead and write what would happen in Harry's sixth year following the events of this story. Whatever.

That being said, this story has one, two, max three (I'm banking on two, possibly even one if I can squeeze it all in) chapters left, and then I start "Shades of Grey" (yes, I am using the British spelling… so for whoever asked, 'grey' is the British spelling, 'gray' is the American spelling. I think).

Now, I got a few questions about myself. I'm unwilling to give out information about myself on the internet (for understandable reasons) so I'll leave it at that no, I'm not British, I'm from the United States, and my heritage is from India, and that's all I'm going to say. Sorry if you're curious – but that's my policy.

Please leave a review for me – I swear I will update as soon as I can when I get back in August! I love you all for sticking with me this long, and I hope you'll continue to stick with me. Much love, xoxo, Peaches 3


	33. And Back Again

Disclaimer: Characters and settings are property of J.K. Rowling. What you don't recognize is mine. And I _wish _I owned the Marauders (specifically Sirius and Remus) but most unfortunately, I do not.

Author's Note: So I know it's been forever, and I'm sorry for the delay, but I've been gone and then I had a hard time getting this out. I would like to apologize in advance for this chapter, not only because it's not my best, but because you'll all hate me for it, I know you will, and I'm _sorry, _but it leaves a lot open for 'Shades of Grey,' for which I've already done some of the preliminary writing, so it hopefully won't take too long. There's more notes – _important _ones – at the end of this chapter, so please-please-PLEASE read them. Again, I'm sorry – and now that I've made you all sufficiently curious, on with the **final chapter** of _A Marauder's Girl._

X-X-X-X-X

"Thank goodness," muttered Remus with feeling. "If I never had to sit another exam again, I'll die happy."

"We're not going to die, Moony, we'll live on forever," said Sirius with a perfectly straight face. "Don't you ever let me catch you talking about dying again – because we never will."

"Right. And I'm in the running for the next Minister of Magic."

"Maybe, in the next couple of decades…" Sirius smiled. "Good to know you've got such high aspirations, though!" he added cheerfully, clapping his friend on the shoulder. "At least we're all finished, though," he continued, sobering. "A week of happiness, and then off home. Well, for you lot. I'm going to France."

"Yes, about that. You got accepted?"

"Just got my letter this morning, actually. My tentative schedule has a load of Defense and Dueling Classes on it – lots of theory, but plenty of practical magic, too, I think." He grinned suddenly. "And would you believe it, I'm taking history classes."

"Good for you! Not to say that I would, but history can be quite fascinating, you know, if it's taught correctly…"

"Yes, Old Binnsey is rather due to be binned, isn't he?" Sirius shoved his hands into his pockets, locks of hair falling into his eyes. "No, I hear the history teacher over there is really attractive."

"Attractive in a female way, or a male way?"

"Female, I assume, as it was Benjy Fenwick who told me so. 'Course, maybe he swings the other way…"

"You could ask Janine – aren't they cousins?"

"Distant ones," said Janine, passing by. "Still, we used to play hide-and-seek around the manor when we were kids, and I think he kissed me once in the fencing gallery. I'm fairly certain he's into girls."

Remus made a face. "You kissed your _cousin?"_

"He's a _distant _cousin," she said, pulling her own face. "Sirius understands, don't you, Sirius?"

"Yeah, I think Mum might have wanted me to marry Bella when we were younger…" Janine gazed at him, horrified.

"That would be awful! Your children would be right little monsters, they would."

"Well, I thought it was awful just because it was _Bella, _but anyway, it hardly matters, because Grandfather stamped on that one, saying we were first cousins and too close. If we had been second cousins…"

"You know," Remus remarked, "I think I'm going to marry someone who's, you know, _not _related to me. In any way."

"Well, that's your privilege, as a half-blood," Janine replied snootily. "For the rest of us unfortunate purebloods-"

"Unfortunate? Janine, a tenth of your family fortune could feed several third-world countries for years-"

"-We often end up married to our cousins, for sake of keeping the blood pure and the money in the family. Thank goodness Dad was a progressive, else I'd probably be married to cousin Richard, although he's a half-blood too, you know-"

"You might end up married to James," said Sirius pointedly.

"Urgh." She made a disgusted face. "That would be like marrying Jeffrey or Damien; Dad would never allow it. Mum might, though – I think I'll get married right out of Hogwarts," she said thoughtfully. "To a Muggle. And then I'll bring him home and show him to my grandparents. And we'll have lots of lovely half-blooded children."

"It's all about blood with you, isn't it?" said Remus amicably. "Well, you're not raving about the evils of Muggles, I suppose that's something. But I suppose, for that, you'd have to be in Slytherin."

"Or Ravenclaw," interjected Jen, who'd been silent thus far. "I understand there are quite a few Ravenclaws that are right little evil-doers."

"Of course," replied Remus, straight-faced. "Holding little Dark Parties, aren't they? Holding fund-raisers to get money for Lord-"

"Don't say his name!" shrieked Jen and Janine together; Alyssa's hat fell off as she shivered violently. Remus rolled his eyes.

"Fear of a name only increases fear of the thing itself."

"You're welcome to wax all philosophic on this sort of thing whenever you want, Remus, but please not to us," sniffed Jen. "It's a perfectly natural reaction, anyway, especially after what happened in Di-" She stopped, squirming uncomfortably. "Sorry, Alyssa. Change the subject?"

"If you like," the blond girl replied indifferently. "Really, it's all right. I'm not going to _faint _every time you mention Diagon Alley, you know. What happened, happened. I can't change that; neither can you."

Jen shifted uncomfortably again, and an awkward silence descended on the group. Remus glanced anxiously at Sirius, who seemed to be taking the mention of the attack remarkably well, although his eyes had gone wide and blank. Janine pinched his side to get his attention. "How did you find the exam, eh?"

"All right," Sirius said, seemingly returning to the present to smile down at her. She wrapped her arms comfortably about his waist. Remus watched them for a few seconds, before turning a wistful smile to Jen. But Jen was chatting with Alyssa, who had a fierce look about her face.

"You were studying all night," Jen was saying to the blonde. "How'd you find it?"

"Fine," she said, and her face relaxed just marginally. "I think I might go into the Department of Magical Law Enforcement," she said suddenly, startling them all.

Janine frowned. "I thought you were going to take over your Aunt's shop."

"No, Brianna can do that, I don't care, I'm _not _going to sit on the sidelines for this war." Alyssa was scowling. "I'm going to do something _useful._"

Sirius went over to her and clapped her on the shoulder. "You and me both, Comforts."

Just then, James walked up with Lily and Marlene, frowning. "Anybody seen Pete?"

"Probably begging for extra time to finish his exam," Sirius replied indifferently. As if on cue, Peter ran up, gasping.

"You didn't wait for me!" he said reproachfully.

"We didn't realize we were supposed to," Sirius replied cheerfully. "How was the exam, Wormtail?"

"Bloody awful!" he cried. "And Theresa Avery, you know, that Slytherin, she kept turning around and making _faces _at me and telling me to meet her in the Astronomy Tower tonight-" He was turning red from talking so fast. "Anyway, I've got a girlfriend, so I'm not going."

"Even if you didn't have a girlfriend, you shouldn't go anyway," advised Lily. "Theresa's a bit _off, _if you know what I mean? She's as bad as Janine is."

"_Was,_" corrected the other girl, a smirk on her face. It appeared that she and Lily had more or less made up. "And there's nothing wrong with _meeting _her up there, just out of pure curiosity," she added in Peter's direction. "Were I you, I'd go."

"Would you?"

"Well, why not? You're not cheating on Anna by _meeting _someone so long as you don't do anything, and even if you were, she wouldn't know, would she? I mean, I've done that to millions of boys, and what they don't know doesn't hurt them, and it _does _give you a chance to test the waters a bit, which can be fun-"

"You," interrupted Lily with extreme fondness, "are a slut. I do hope you realize that." Janine tuck her tongue out.

"What are we doing to celebrate tonight, girls?" asked Marlene, her eyebrows up. "I mean, the end of our sixth year; seems like a cause for celebration, doesn't it?"

"No," said Lily, scowling. "Sounds like a good chance to catch up on all the sleep we missed studying for our exams."

"You're not fun, Evans," said Sirius, waving his hand. "I say we have a mad orgy at the top of the Astronomy Tower." He looked at Janine. "Or we could have our own private orgy?"

"Too much information, Pads," said James, shuddering. "I never want you to give me that particular mental image."

"Are you sure? Because I can-"

James wouldn't let him finish. "No," he said, shuddering again. Janine laughed and linked arms with Sirius and James. Unusually, Lily felt a hot stab of jealousy, and forcibly pushed it down. Janine had no interest in James.

Did she? Lily stopped dead in the center of the hallway. Was it her imagination, or was Janine just a bit closer to James than she was to Sirius? Was she smiling at him in a special way? It wasn't impossible. She'd spent ages at his house, and Lily had heard that the Potters owned a large home. It wouldn't be difficult for them to escape James's parents, if Sirius wasn't there, and-

"Lil, are you coming?" Janine had stopped both of the boys to glance back questioningly at her friend. "You're very red, you know." She looked concerned. "You all right?"

"Yes," Lily forced out, her voice slightly squeaky. "Perfectly fine." She fiercely avoided James's gaze and hurried to catch up with her friends.

X-X-X-X-X

It seemed as if the remainder of term passed in a hazy daze. With no exams to look forward to, everyone slacked off their classes (which led to many final detentions of the year, due to unfinished homework and inattention during lectures), content to simply doze in the sunshine that filtered through the classroom windows, only to leap up the moment the bells rang to run outside and enjoy the lovely weather. Charms went askew as people stopped paying attention to the way they pronounced the incantations or the precise movements of the wand; in one memorable Potions class, Sirius fell asleep at his cauldron, knocking half of his kit into the cauldron and causing it to blow up. He spent a day in the Hospital Wing to rid himself of the scorch marks, and then returned the next day, roaring with laughter at it all.

Even Lily gave up. It was almost worth it, to see the look of utter astonishment on Flitwick's face when he resignedly asked her for her assignment (nobody else had done it), only to be told that it hadn't been done. Sirius had even taken a picture of his expression.

And so it was that the evening before the final feast, Lily found herself and her friends scurrying around their dorm, collecting all of their items that had somehow found their way to the dustiest spots under the bed and the further corners of the dormitory, packing as their sixth year drew to a close.

When Lily emerged from the bathroom, carrying all of the toiletries that had been scattered around it over the course of the year, she found Janine dancing on her bed gleefully, the other girls rolling their eyes and smiling. "What's going on?"

"I've gotten a letter!" she said excitedly, waving eagerly.

"That's nice," Lily said with a smile. "I get letters sometimes, too."

"Not that kind of letter," she said impatiently, hopping from the bed. "From Quidditch Camp! Top of the line – I've been accepted, and I'll be gone for a month! Training with the best," she said dreamily. "I'll be playing all day, and perfecting all these techniques and learning new ones, and with all these people who'll _know _all the Quidditch stats, and will want to talk about them and… It's going to be so much fun!"

Personally, Lily couldn't think of anything that sounded more boring to her, but she plastered a smile onto her face, wanting to appear happy for her friend, not wanting to let on her slight disappointment at these words. All of their other three friends were going away for the summer, and Lily had rather counted on spending a good majority of it with Janine.

And then another thought occurred to her, causing her stomach to squirm uncomfortably. Such good friends as they'd become, she could spend it with James…

"And James is going too!" she added gleefully, but a brief flicker of disappointment crossed her face. "And Sirius got an acceptance letter, but he's not going, says he's going to that silly school in Paris." She sighed. "I suppose it's going to be just me and James, then."

Lily shifted her weight uncomfortably. She'd given herself a very stern talking-to after her musings in the corridor after the exam, forcing herself to come to the conclusion that there was _nothing _between James and Janine, and that there would never be.

Still, James was no monk, and a month in the woods with just Janine for company? (She conveniently forgot that there would be plenty of other people there, and frankly, she had no idea where the hell the camp was.) It was beginning to make her uncomfortable.

"Lily?" Janine was staring at her. Since their fight, she hadn't mentioned James and Lily at all. "You look like your brain is going to explode." Then she smirked. "Too much studying?"

"Yes, probably," said Lily, breathing an inward sigh of relief. Of course there was nothing between James and Janine. Because that was just ridiculous.

If only because Janine would have gloated about it sometime before this.

"Aren't you happy for me?"

"Of course I am! It's what you've always wanted. To play Quidditch like your Dad."

It was the wrong thing to say. Janine's expression turned ugly; she fell onto her bed. "Doesn't play Quidditch anymore," she grumbled. Lily fought to keep from rolling her eyes.

"Hasn't it gone on long enough? I mean, aren't you royally sick of fighting with him? Just let it go, Janine."

"I'm not _going _to let it go!" she exploded vehemently, her eyes flashing. "D'you have any idea how much I'm worried about him? What if he does something stupid? What if he gets hurt? What if he _dies? _What then?"

Lily pretended to brush dirt from her skirt to avoid looking at her friend. "It's his life, Janine," she said softly. "I mean, would you be all right if he tried to tell you what to do with your life?"

"As if he hasn't. He shoved me onto a broomstick as early as he could; he gave me things to do with Quidditch; how could I _not _go into Quidditch? It's been pounded into me." Janine scowled. "For all you know, I might have ended up a starving artist on the streets of Diagon Alley."

"Or a prostitute," offered Jen with a smirk. The remark considerably lightened the mood; Janine pounced on Jen and soon the two girls were tussling playfully, smacking one another with pillows.

Lily watched for a few moments, her expression thoughtful. She could hardly picture Janine as a starving artist. For one thing, she didn't have the creative inclination.

And then a pillow hit Lily in the face, and within moments, all the girls had stopped packing to indulge in one last pillow fight, before the end of the year.

The Farewell Feast was noticeably subdued, for with the Quidditch Cup cancelled, Hufflepuff had managed to snag the House Cup, but only just. This depressed the Gryffindors, at least until Remus, being unusually sneaky, caused a turkey at the Hufflepuff table to explode. Lily burst into hysterics, particularly after seeing Andy Cobalt peel turkey off of his face with a disgusted expression.

Lily was lagging behind her friends, feeling unexpectedly morose, when a hand shot out of a nearby classroom and dragged her in. She squeaked in surprise as the door was slammed shut, and then punched her attacker.

James doubled over on the floor, wheezing partially from laughter and partially from the force of her punch. Lily squeaked again, this time in horror, and knelt, apologizing profusely. "Oh! Oh, I'm so sorry, I didn't know it was you, but you scared the living daylights out of me-"

He waved her apology away, although he did accept her hand as she helped him up. But as he stood on his own to feet, he didn't let go; on the contrary, he pulled her much closer, his face suddenly serious. Lily's heart began to thud in her chest. This was it. The moment of truth.

"Will you sit with me and the boys on the ride back?" he asked, a corner of his mouth quirking up, as if he knew what she was thinking. "You know. All nine of us. The last train ride before we're the top of the heap. You know?"

"Oh." For some reason, Lily felt – _disappointed. _"Oh, sure. Yeah. That'd be nice."

"Great!" He was suddenly over effusive, and to Lily's astonishment, he hugged her and pecked her cheek. "Then I'll see you tomorrow? Have to run – I've got to pack…" And then his smiled got just a bit smaller, as he added, "Maybe we could talk tomorrow?"

"Yeah – ok." Lily shifted her weight. "That'd be perfect."

"Great!" he exclaimed again, and yanked the door open, bowing her out. They walked back to the common room, talking of mundane things – how the school year had been, Lily's exceptional grades (as usual), James's not-quite-as-exceptional-but-still-really-good grades (also as usual) and the upcoming year. Any mention of romance or a possible relationship was carefully avoided.

"Well, good night," Lily said uncomfortably. "See you tomorrow?"

"Yeah – I'll meet you on the train, or something." He smiled widely, before loping up the stairs to join his friends. Lily returned to her own dorm to finish her packing, feeling oddly let down.

X-X-X-X-X

A hand gently pushed Lily's book down, forcing her to look into the gently smiling eyes of James Potter. "Want to come with me to get some food from the snack bar?" he asked, with a meaningful look in his eyes.

Lily panicked. "Er – no, that's all right, I'm not really hungry."

"Well, how about for the company, then?" Lily noticed that their entire compartment was watching the pair of them. _Does **everyone** know about that silly bet? _she wondered despairingly.

"I really want to finish my chapter, but thanks anyway." She quickly looked down again, in hopes of avoiding the obvious disappointment in James's eyes.

Jen stood up and rolled her eyes. "Well, _I'm _starving – so I'll go with you, James. You can tell me all about the Quidditch camp you're going to and make me horribly jealous that I can't go too." James nodded, looking a bit hurt at Lily's rejection, before following Jen out. As Jen left, she gave Lily a significant look, one that clearly said _you can't avoid it forever. _Lily scowled. _Well, I'm certainly going to **try**._

Just yesterday, she'd been so disappointed when James _hadn't _mentioned it, but now that he was trying to get her alone for a private chat, she was scared witless. _What is **wrong **with me? I mean – it's not like he's a bad bloke or anything, really, he'd make the perfect boyfriend – but what if he dumps me? What if, after he's had me, he doesn't want me anymore, he doesn't care, what if we're not even friends after that?_

_You know he's not going to do that, _argued another voice.

_No, I don't! _Panicked-Lily told the other voice. _In fact, that's probably **exactly **what he's going to do! And he and all his friends will have a good laugh over it, I just **know**-_

"Lily, take a few deep breaths!" cried Marlene, looking deeply worried. "I think your head might explode otherwise!" The others were staring at her in complete horror.

"I need to find the loo," she blurted, and ran from the compartment. She quickly left her train car, traveling up towards the prefects' compartment. Only Remus could reach her there, and he wouldn't come after her, would he? He was much too subtle for that – but then, she _had _left awfully quickly-

On impulse, just before reaching the prefects' compartment, she turned into another one, to find, to her astonishment, Severus Snape, his protuberant nose buried in a book, completely alone. "I – oh, hello, Severus," she said. "I'll just – er, I'll just go now, shall I?"

He was staring at her, completely nonplussed, before shrugging indifferently and returning to his book. Lily paused for a long moment. On one hand, Snape was probably expecting her to leave now. On the other, James would never think to look for her in this particular compartment.

She sat down.

Snape's eyebrows shot up. "Weren't you leaving?"

"Do you want me to?" she snapped. "Because I have as much right to be here as you do!"

Snape frowned. "Obviously. But you did say you were about to leave," he pointed out in a calm tone, "and none of your things are here. And seeing as we've been on the train for a good hour already, I would imagine that you had found _someplace _to sit, and so I can only imagine that you left your compartment for a particular reason. Potter getting you down?"

He probably had no idea how close he was to the truth, and Lily wasn't going to give him the satisfaction of knowing. Instead she merely grunted in a troll-like manner and settled herself in moodily, staring out the window at the scenery.

They sat in silence for a while, until Snape gave a heavy sigh and put his book aside. "I'm not certain if I ever apologized to after the incident by the lake in the fifth year."

"You did," Lily told him stiffly.

"Then I didn't apologize _enough. _I never meant to insult you like that, but to apologize would have been to allow Potter to win, and that is something I cannot do."

"I never meant to insult you like that, but to apologize would have been to allow Potter to win, and that is something I cannot do."

"He saved your life," Lily said in exasperation. "Can't you let go of this silly feud? It's ruddy annoying and dreadfully _stupid _in my opinion."

Irritation flared in Snape's eyes. "Then I suppose it's a good thing we never ask your opinion, isn't it?"

"Do whatever the hell you like, Snape. I've given up defending you to him, and I'm certainly not about to start defending him to you."

"Didn't you just do that?"

"Sod off!"

"I will not. _You _barged unceremoniously into my compartment, and if anything, _you _should sod off." Snape scowled. "Nevertheless, I need to… say something. You have never, in my eyes, been _quite _as annoying as the other Gryffindors, and I acknowledge you as… a very capable witch. You are…" He stopped. "You belong at Hogwarts as much as anyone else," he said at last.

Lily frowned. It wasn't much, but it was as close as he'd probably ever come to admitting that Muggleborns had a place at Hogwarts, no matter what _some _though. "Well, I appreciate that, but I don't care much what you or anybody else thinks. Still, it's nice to meet a Slytherin who doesn't mind, for a change. Thank you, Severus."

"You're welcome." He sat back and picked up his book. He paused, and then drew another book out of his bag and handed it to her. Lily took it, astonished, but could think of nothing to say, which was just as well, because he had turned back to his book. Lily glanced down at the book, and was astonished as well as gratified to see that it was a dog-eared, well-read tome of the complete works of Shakespeare.

Well, she had to credit him with taste in books, anyway.

They sat in companionable silence; the only sound was the turning of pages. Lily found herself enjoying the relative quiet, preferring it to the noisy compartment she'd occupied before. For one thing, she wouldn't have to look at James's hopeful face.

As if he'd heard her and decided to jinx her for thinking such things, James Potter himself slid the compartment door open, saw Snape, and sneered in distaste. He was about to slide the door shut with nary a word, when he caught sight of the frozen Lily.

"What are you doing in here?" he asked, surprised. "Why'd you leave the compartment?"

"I wanted some quiet," Lily said uncomfortably. _Oh, no. Here it comes. The big-_

"Get out, Snape, I need to talk to Lily."

"You can't kick him out!" Lily objected. "It was his compartment first-" James scowled and grabbed her arms, forcibly dragging her out of Snape's compartment and into the prefects' compartment across the way. Thankfully, it was empty, and so when James sat her down across from him, Lily felt absolutely free to rant at him, something she hadn't done in a long time. It felt blissfully familiar and comfortable to her, and she reflected that while she was shouting at him for manhandling her, it was so easy to fall back onto old habits.

"Lily, stop. I'm sorry, but I've been bloody trying to talk to you for _ages, _and you kept _avoiding _me! And you _promised!" _he added indignantly.

Lily hung her head.

"Listen, Lily, these two months have been…" His throat got stuck; he cleared it and went out. "…Hell." Her head jerked up. "I've loved being with you, but it's just not enough for me. I really _want _to be with you. God, you have no idea how much. Say you'll go out with me. Please."

Lily's mouth opened and closed a few times. Without answering, she stood up and went to him, pressing her mouth firmly to his.

It was like every other kiss they'd share, which admittedly had been few, but it was enough to set Lily's blood on fire. Her hands were buried in his hair; already one of his hands had begun to creep up the back of his shirt. She kissed him with as much fierceness as she could put into it, so much so that her entire mouth felt bruised as she pulled back to gasp for air, but she at once pushed her mouth insistently against his, pushing his robes from his shoulders, not caring when he removed his hand from underneath to shove off her robes and undo her tie.

James was gasping against her, hardly daring to believe that not only was Lily Evans kissing him, but she'd _instigated _the kiss, too, and here they were, practically ripping at one another… "I've wanted this," he breathed as her mouth moved to do absolutely wonderful things to his ear. "I've wanted this _for so long, _and I want it forever." Her lips froze in the action of nibbling on his earlobe, and she pulled away, her eyes wide. James pressed a hand to his chest. "I want _this, _Lily," he whispered, his hand over her heart. "I always have."

But she looked terrified now, and she jerked away from him as though burned. He stared at her, taking in the mussed hair, the askew clothing, the swollen lips, and the wide eyes, and decided that this wasn't _quite _the reaction he'd hoped for. Still, he had to try. "Go out with me, Lily," he pleaded – and he _never _pleaded. "Please."

"I – I just…" She stared at him. "What's _wrong _with you?" she cried hysterically. "I'm sixteen, I – _why _couldn't you just leave it alone?" she wailed angrily. "It's – it's too much – I just-"

And finding herself thoroughly unable to say anymore, she grabbed her book and fled the compartment.

James stared after her, completely frozen and horrified. He'd been so close – _so _close – and he'd ruined it. Completely ruined it.

Groaning, James buried his head in his hands.

X-X-X-X-X

Janine had gone looking for the loo, because after several butterbeers, she _really _had to go, _really badly._ But as she opened the door, she found an ashen-faced Lily sitting on the closed toilet, her knees drawn up to her chin, looking thoroughly unhappy and thoroughly shocked at the same time.

At once, Janine shut the door and knelt by Lily's side. "James went looking for you," she said softly. "Are… are you okay? You look bloody awful."

"I couldn't do it. It was like – God, he acted like he wanted to get bloody _married. _He was talking about my heart, and _forever, _and – I'm sixteen! I'm too young for that!" Lily turned her had wildly. "God, I was so scared, and I couldn't breathe, and I just had to-"

But Janine didn't seem to have heard her. She'd frozen, her mouth slightly agape, and when she turned to Lily, she reflected that she'd never seen Janine's eyes grow colder than they were just then. "Am I to understand," she said in a low, frigid tone, "that you _rejected _him? Again? After everything he's done for you?"

Lily nodded miserably. "It was just too much. He wanted too much."

Janine stood up so quickly that Lily got a crick in her neck, trying to follow her friend's movements. "Are you _mad?" _Janine exploded, her voice so loud that it rang in Lily's ears. "He's – he's the bloody best thing you'd ever have gotten! No guy would change that much for anyone else, Evans! Are you out of your fucking mind?"

Lily stood up as well, suddenly furious too. "Who're you to talk? It's none of your damn business, I should have figured you'd defend him, you always _do – _but he was crazy, Janine, talking about _forever, _nobody should understand that better than you-"

"Didn't he tell you, once, that when he loved, he loved with _everything _he had! You're absolutely mad, to throw something like that away! There's very little that's certain anymore, what with the war, and _you _threw away the one thing that was!"

"I'm sixteen!" Lily yelled. "That's too young to be talking about – _forever, _and nonsense-"

"We should all be so lucky for someone as great from him! D'you know how much I envied you, that James wanted you _that _much? Nobody in the world's ever wanted me like that, you know, and there are very few girls who get that lucky! He's – he's bloody amazing, that's what he is, and you're an absolute fool to throw that away!"

Lily's temper was rising to a dangerous level now. "You know what? You're fucking unbelievable. You spew all that nonsense about how you can't talk about _forever, _you have to take things day by day-"

"Exactly! Things _day by day! _So why the _hell _didn't you take it when you could? You're – you're a damn coward, that's what you are, Evans, and Merlin himself wouldn't know why you're in Gryffindor for it, because you're _too damn scared _to let your feelings go and for once let someone _love _you as much as he does-"

"Better to be a damn coward than a lovesick idiot!" she snarled. "You know Sirius is never going to stay with you, no matter how hard he might want to, because you lot are _barely seventeen years old, _and things just _don't _happen like that, not at that age! You, of all people, could hardly no what love is!"

"You're – you're a damn fool, that's what you are!" Janine was fuming. "I cannot believe – I would have given anything to be loved like – you know what it is?" she asked cruelly, at last. "You just _can't _do it – you're not strong enough, you're not _brave _enough – you could never be enough girl for him! You're – not good enough for him, that's what it is!" Janine gave her the coldest look she'd seen yet. "You aren't worth his attentions, Lily, if you can't even give him a proper chance when he deserves it – _more _than deserves it. I just - I give up on you!" she suddenly screeched, and slammed the door open so hard that she knocked a first-year over.

A fourth-year from Ravenclaw gave her a huffy looking, helping the first year up, and said, "If you're going to have your lover's spats, could you do it somewhere else _please? _A lot of us have to go, you know!"

"Piss off, you little brat," Janine snarled, flipping her the bird. The fourth-year looked scandalized, but Janine had stormed away and disappeared into a compartment.

Lily shoved the first-year and the fourth-year rudely out of the way – something she'd never done if she'd been thinking clearly, and flung herself into the nearest compartment, full of second-years. "Get out!" she snarled.

"This is our compartment," one of the boys squeaked, "and-"

"I'm a prefect," Lily said in her lowest, most dangerous voice, "and I'm telling you to get out. _Now. _Or I swear that when you come back to school, you'll regret it."

Terrified, the second-years ran out. Lily sank into a seat, drew her knees up to her chest, and not knowing what else to do, she cried.

X-X-X-X-X

_A Brief Epilogue to Set the Stage_

Lily looked for Snape as she got off the train with her things – she'd waited until the last minute, to avoid running into any of her friends – but she couldn't find him. Sighing, she stuffed the book into her satchel, planning to give it back the first moment she had. In the meantime, it would keep her occupied while she had absolutely _no _friends at all.

She saw Janine walking away from her, her arms linked through James's, Jen and Alyssa trailing behind her a bit aimlessly. The other three didn't see her, but when Janine caught sight of her, she gave Lily the dirtiest look the redhead had ever seen. Lily turned away to ignore the tears stinging her eyes. She had a feeling that making up after this particular fight would be much more difficult. It didn't even bother her, now, that as Janine was about to leave with her parents, she hugged James fiercely and gave him a particularly hard kiss on the cheek. James never turned around and saw Lily; she didn't care.

Lily dragged her trunk through the barrier, but only after all the others had gone. Her parents were some of the last, and they saw her. Rose Evans's expression was worried, and she came over and hugged her daughter. "Lily, darling, are you all right?"

Lily opened her mouth to answer, when she felt a gentle hand on her shoulder. She whirled, to find Marlene standing there, with Remus. "Hey, Lil – we're sorry. Both of us." Remus gave her a weak smile, which she returned. "Write me over the summer. Okay?"

"I will," she promised, sniffing, and hugged them both. As she gave Remus a hug, she whispered, "What about James?"

"Give it time. He'll be gone all summer, anyway," Remus said with a stronger smile, "and so will Sirius and Peter. I'll get lonely. So come visit me at Flourish and Blotts – that's where I work – if you've ever got the time. All right?"

"All right," she said weakly, and gave them both another fierce hug. "Thank you," she said quietly.

She felt her mother's hand on her shoulder. "Lily, we should go. Petunia is at Vernon's house, and we're going there for dinner, but if you don't feel up to it…"

"No, it's all right." Lily sniffled weakly. "I'll go."

"Are you all right, dear?" Richard Evans asked timidly, at last.

Lily didn't answer for a moment, but in between her parents she saw Marlene, who'd just turned around to wave a final time, and her heart lifted a bit. "Not yet. But I will be," she said quietly. And as her father took her trunk and her mother wrapped a gentle arm around her shoulders, she reflected that even with Marlene and Remus, it was bound to be a very long summer indeed.

X-X-X-X-X

A/M: So… hate me now? I won't blame you if you do, but I hope you guys will come back and read Shades of Grey, whenever it comes out (probably very soon).

Okay, so here's the **super-duper-important stuff! **After reading HBP (OMG, I loved it, it was amazing, but so sad too), I decided to write Harry's seventh year, which is tentatively titled 'When All Things End', so PLEASE be on the lookout for it. If you do decide to read it, you may notice that some of the characters in it are… ah… _familiar, _if you catch me drift. From this story. The point I want to make, though, is that they're _not _the same characters. I'm rewriting the Marauders' fic, this time only seventh year and on, and THAT fic is tentatively titled 'Time Of Our Lives' and it would make me so happy if you guys read that when it comes out, which WILL be soon, because I'm already almost done writing the second chapter of it. The characters, though their names are familiar, are REALLY different in that, Janine in particular. She's a very different person in that fic, and I like her MORE in that fic, so try not to get confused and remember that most things are NOT going to be the same in that one like they are in this one. Okay? So no forgetting that, because it's important. For example, the whole Tom-and-Janine's-Mom does NOT exist, and there is no mutual loathing between the Garnets and the Blacks. The only things I will tell you are that Lily is more like Ginny in that fic and less like Hermione, James is more of a prat, Sirius is more poetic but less romantic (if that makes sense), Janine is less of a ditzy airhead and more of a tomboy jock, she and Sirius DON'T hate each other (they're actually really good friends and always have been, but they AREN'T a couple) and Dorcas Meadowes features heavily, along with an as-of-yet unnamed Hufflepuff girl or two. So be on the lookout for these three: **Shades of Grey, When All Things End, _and _Time Of Our Lives! **(The last is likely to become my favorite – so please read?)

Until next I update – leave me lots of reviews and spur me on to continue writing these epic stories! Xoxo _Peaches_

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_**P.S. **I tweaked Chap. 32 a little, but not much - just some discrepancies between that and older chapters, but it's fine now. Nothing that needs to be reread, unless you're really curious or whatever...


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